


Collision of Time and Trials

by Chameleon777



Series: Complicated Yesterdays [3]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Third Watch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:24:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 115,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleon777/pseuds/Chameleon777
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It isn't the first time that New York and Miami have met to solve problems...and it won't be the last..." Teaming up with others to catch monsters make the chances of surviving even better than going at the search alone...there is safety in numbers..</p><p>Sequel to 'After Time and Trial' and 'What Tomorrow Brings.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mercy Hunting for Justice

Devil's Mansion - Miami, Florida

The air was unusually cold as the door creaked open and light flooded the room, revealing a very posh-looking foyer that split off two ways at the base of a pristine staircase.

Everything was red and black; hence, why Bernard referred to it as Devil's Mansion.

Edward entered first with a soundly sleeping Ellie in his arms; the drugs that Dr. Savarrio had provided were working well. Dr. Savarrio then entered, cradling the sleeping Kylie like a china doll that could be broken at any moment and if the handler got angry enough to do such a thing.

Without warning, the doors slammed shut and everything was engulfed in blackness.

"Ah, who is coming to my devil's lair to play?" a dark voice asked as footsteps could be heard.

Edward coughed. "Bernie, it's Eddie and Doctor Savarrio," he replied in a sleek voice. "We have the packages that you asked us to bring from New York; they're sleeping soundly."

There was silence and the lights suddenly flashed on again, revealing Bernard at the top of the stairs dressed in a pair of black jeans, cowboy boots, and a tight black t-shirt with his hair slicked back out of his pale face. He looked almost manic and there were scratches on his cheek.

"Stewart got a little wild in wanting to play, so I had to restrain him to a chair and he scratched my face," Bernard hissed as he gazed at Ellie and Kylie. "I have rooms prepared for these pretty little angels so they can sleep off their sedatives. RICKY, get your butt down here!"

Stetler appeared at the top of the staircase. "Ricky, come down here for a minute," he ordered in a stern tone. "Eddie, take the girls up to their rooms and tuck them in; then come back."

Edward quickly took Kylie into his arms and walked quickly up the stairs, past Stetler, and out of sight of the intimidating force that Bernard Marquez was. Stetler looked at Bernard.

"Doctor Savarrio, there comes a time when everyone outlives their usefulness," Bernard said, his voice as cool as a cucumber as he gazed at the doctor. "You have done well in helping bring Kylie and Ellie to me in Miami completely drugged up. However, there is little more for you to do."

As Bernard reached into his pocket, Dr. Savarrio gasped and backed away. "Bernie, PLEASE!" he pleaded, raising his hands in a defensive position. "Bernie, I PROMISE I can do more for you!"

"Oh, you can, you can die quickly," Bernard hissed as he pulled out a gun and shot Dr. Savarrio in the chest twice without hesitation. "Say good night, Doctor Savarrio; a pleasure knowing you."

Dr. Savarrio sank to the ground with a shocked look on his face as he bled out and died. "Ricky, take this gun and bury it somewhere," Bernard snapped as he offered the gun to Stetler. "Once the gun is buried, come back here and you can have some fun with the angels if you want."

"Forget it, Bernie, I'm not going to stoop to molesting kids," Stetler snapped, pushing the gun away. "I may have done a number on Emily Wolfe, but a kid is low even for me."

Bernard hooted. "Oh, Ricky, you are such a hypocrite saying that!" he replied in an amused tone. "You suddenly grew some morals in the last year? That is such a load of crap!"

Stetler glared at Bernard. "If you turn back now, Ricky, you'll go back to jail," he hissed, figuring that the threat of re-incarceration would set Rick straight. "You'll probably get life for this."

"I don't care," Stetler snapped. "I'm not molesting kids again just to make YOU happy."

Roaring, Bernard backhanded Stetler so hard that Stetler fell to the floor. 

For the next several minutes, Bernard kicked and beat the stuffing out of Stetler, causing the disgraced cop turned escaped con to yell in intense agony before passing into unconsciousness.

Bernard stood there, a smirk on his face as he figured that Stetler was dead.

"EDDIE, GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Bernard roared, hoping that Edward would be quick.

It only took a few seconds for Edward to come out and down the stairs. "Eddie, dump Doctor Savarrio and Ricky somewhere where the crocs are hungry," he ordered in a tone that was lacking of any emotion. "They've outlived their purpose; dispose of them and then come back."

Edward looked discontent. "I wanted to spend some quality time with Ellie," he whined.

"You will get to, just do as I say first," Bernard said, trying to calm himself. "We can't do any playing yet anyway, Clavo called just before you arrived; he found another angel for us."

Taking a deep breath, Bernard turned and went up the stairs, disappearing into the shadows that were the upper levels of his mansion. He needed to relax on his own with the future of crime...

His eyes still wide, Edward stared at the battered bodies of Stetler and Dr. Savarrio in silence.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade International Airport - Miami, Florida

The hints of sunrise were still a few hours away as John and Emily walked into the airport along with the many other passengers who had elected to travel at such a strange hour.

"Hey, Emily, can we find a bathroom or somewhere private?" John asked as they stopped and watched the other passengers depart. "I need to check my blood sugar; just a precaution."

Emily nodded and the two walked off towards a darker part of the airport, near a luggage conveyer belt that most likely wouldn't be operating for hours. John sat on the edge and pulled his backpack off his shoulder. As he opened it, Emily looked away so that John could have some privacy.

"Oh crap," John hissed as he slid the bloodstained strip into the machine and got a reading. 

Emily looked at him. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned by the frown on John's face.

"I need to give myself a shot of insulin," John replied. "Can you keep an eye out for anyone that might be wandering this way? I should have kept a better watch on my blood sugar..."

Emily nodded and turned away again as John removed his pants, quickly gave himself an insulin shot in the upper thigh, and put his pants back on. With a sigh, he got to his feet.

"Maybe we should find a place to camp until sun up," John said as he repacked his bag and put it back over his shoulder. "It's too dangerous on the streets of Miami right now."

"Why don't we just camp right here until sunrise and then leave?" Emily asked, knowing just by looking at John that he needed some rest. "We can use our jackets as temporary beds.”

Grateful that Emily wasn't going to expect him to play hero tonight, John nodded and placed his backpack back on the floor. He then got down on the floor and used his backpack as a pillow.

"John, you should get some rest, I can stay up for a while," Emily offered, knowing that John had just gotten out of the hospital and was probably running low on energy. "If anyone comes towards us, I'll wake you...I'll wake you in like half an hour so you can do another check, okay?"

John nodded and closed his eyes. "In half an hour, I'll be ready to go," he mumbled sleepily.

As Emily began to look around at the darkened airport, she suddenly saw a large figure heading in their direction. She got up, moved over to a light, and turned it on to see a man in a MDPD uniform.

"Miami-Dade Airport Police," Ryan said in a commanding tone. "What are you doing here?"

Without warning, John sprang to his feet and bolted off down the darkened terminal, leaving a flustered Emily and his backpack behind. Ryan swore loudly and chased after John.  
Worried that John could end up in trouble; Emily slung the backpack over her shoulder and quickly followed after the security officer at a distance. 

Motion-activated lights flashed on as Ryan chased John across one of the terminals that weren’t scheduled to open until after sunrise. Emily was trying to keep up to both of them.

As John neared another set of exit doors, he suddenly placed a hand on his forehead and sank to his knees. "My head," he weakly mumbled. "Emily, I need my backpack."

"My name is Ryan Wolfe and I'm an officer with the Miami-Dade PD and Airport PD," Ryan stated as he neared where John was kneeling. "Keep your hands where I can see them, please."

Slowing to a walk, Ryan reached out to touch John's shoulder. "NO, DON'T TOUCH ME!" John yelled, seeing Ryan's hand and pulling away sharply. "I don't want Sergeant Stetler to get me."

Hearing the fear in the kid's voice about possibly seeing Stetler, Ryan frowned as Emily reached them and moved over to John. "I have a headache," John whispered to Emily. "I haven't eaten since last night at dinner and I definitely need some sleep; I'm so tired, Emily."

Suddenly spotting the medical bracelet on John's wrist, Ryan looked at Emily. "Does your friend have some sort of medical condition?" he asked, concerned that he might have to call 9-1-1.

"I have Type 1 diabetes," John snapped as he leaned against Emily for support. "Just before you came, I checked my sugar and gave myself a shot of insulin; I just need some sleep."

Ryan pulled out his work issued walkie-talkie. "I'm gonna need to call emergency response," he said as he punched in the code that would connect him to emergency response. "They'll come check you out and determine whether or not you should be taken to a hospital."

"Look, I'm fine," John softly replied. "Don't call for help; we’ll both get into trouble.”

Ryan sighed. "I won't call for paramedics, but I am going to call a friend of mine that can come and assess the situation for himself," he said as he speed-dialed a number. "My friend's name is Tim Speedle and he's with the MDPD Crime Lab. He won't hurt either of you; is that okay?"

John and Emily exchanged a look and John nodded. "All right, just try and stay calm while I phone him," Ryan instructed as he put the phone up to his ear. "....Tim, it's Ryan. You said to phone you if I ever needed help with anything. Can you come to the Miami-Dade airport right away?"

The call lasted only a few minutes and, after asking Tim to "borrow" a CSI Hummer without Horatio knowing, Ryan hung up. "Officer Speedle will meet us outside the North Terminal as soon as he can get here," he explained. "We'll probably take you back to the MDPD where you can get something to eat and rest. By the way, what are your names?"

"My name's Emily Yokas and his name is John Sullivan," Emily replied before John could speak and possibly get them into more trouble for being hostile. "We flew here from New York City."

Ryan nodded and watched as Emily helped John to his feet. "What are you both doing in Miami without your parents?" Ryan asked, concerned. "Does anyone even know that you're here?"

John and Emily exchanged a look, and then looked back at Ryan. Could they trust this cop with their secret agenda, or would the cop merely get their information and send them back home?  
*********************************************************************************************************  
Sullivan Apartment - New York City, New York

Being careful not to wake David, who was still sleeping comfortably on the living room floor in a sleeping bag, Danielle slipped into the front room and sank down on the hide-a-bed where John had been resting hours ago, until just before he had run away. 

After Bosco had shown her the note, Danielle had called Detective Yokas and a furious Faith, who had found Emily’s note not long ago and had no idea where to start looking, promised that she would be over right away. Right as soon as the call was over, Danielle had come out of the bedroom to find Sully and Bosco at the kitchen table, looking at the note. Her father was equally devastated over it.

Now, while Danielle moved into the living room for privacy, Sully and Bosco read the note again.

Before Danielle could ask how they were going to handle this, however, there was a knock at the door.

Letting out a tired sigh, Danielle rose and moved over to the door. She opened it to find Carlos there.

“Carlos, if you’re here about Kylie, we don’t know anything more than that she and Ellie were taken to Miami,” Danielle said, tiredness in her voice. “We’ve got a new problem to deal with, though.”

Carlos nodded and quickly moved inside the apartment. “When Holly and I got back from our little evening out, Tommy was really upset about something,” he explained as Danielle closed the door. “After Holly and I managed to calm him down, he told us that John visited him and said what he was going to do. Tommy said that he encouraged John to take someone with him. After John left, Tommy called Emily…”

“---Who decided to go with John to Miami,” Emily finished. “You might as well come and help us figure out what to do about this….My dad and Boscorelli are on the computer; they’re looking at flights.”

Carlos nodded and followed Danielle into the kitchen, where Bosco was sitting at a computer while Sully watched from behind the chair. “Kim bought this and stashed it in my apartment in case there was ever any emergencies,” Sully explained. “From what Bosco’s been able to figure out, John took a midnight flight from JFK to Miami-Dade International; he probably went to look for Ellie and Kylie.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not alone,” Danielle replied. “According to Carlos, John visited Tommy at the hospital last night and after John left, Tommy called Emily. Apparently, Emily accompanied John to Miami.”

Sully swore under his breath and turned away from the screen, “Faith is gonna be mad about that,” Bosco commented as he continued working on the computer. “…There’s not another flight to Miami from JFK for at least a week, LaGuardia doesn’t have any flights for two weeks, Newark’s about the same thing….”

“Oh, great, who knows what could happen in a week,” Danielle said, her voice full of frustration that nothing was able to be done immediately about the situation. “There’s so much danger in Miami.”

Bosco rose from the computer and, moving over to Danielle, he gently pulled her into a hug. “Danielle, I promise you that we’ll figure it out,” he said in a gentle tone. “Just don’t lose hope, okay?”

Danielle nodded and rested her head on Bosco’s shoulder. “Maurice, I don’t know why, but I believe you,” she whispered into Bosco’s ear. “You just seem to have this way of making me feel better.”

“How exactly did John and Emily get the money to go off to Miami on an airplane?” Carlos asked, confusion in his voice about the situation. “I didn’t think either of them had a lot of money.”

A horrified look suddenly crossed Sully’s face as he noticed his wallet on the table. “Crap, my credit card and some cash is missing from my wallet,” Sully said as he opened the wallet. “Oh man.”

“I wonder if John is going to ask LaRusso for help,” Bosco said as he and Danielle pulled apart. “Then again, I don’t think John knows that LaRusso went to Miami with his kids; this is such a mess.”

Before anyone could reply, there was a knock on the door and the door opened. “How could you let this happen?!” Faith yelled, an angry tone in her voice as she stormed into the kitchen. “Danielle, how could you let John talk Emily into going to Miami to find a couple of kids on their own? When I got back from visiting my fiancé this morning, I found Emily’s note; they are just teenagers, Danielle!”

“Look, I can book this flight that leaves in a week from JFK for all of us,” Bosco said in a calm voice, as he wanted to keep things as calm as possible. “I’ll use my credit card to pay for the plane tickets.”

Faith scoffed and glared at Bosco. “Bosco, honestly, there’s no need for you to be involved in this,” she stated in a no-nonsense tone. “Carlos has a reason to be here, as Kylie was taken. You don’t have any kids or any reason to be involved, so why don’t you go back to being a beat cop in Bed-Stuy?”

Bosco glared at Faith and for a few moments, Sully, Carlos, and Danielle all thought that there was going to be a physical brawl in the apartment. Bosco, however, didn’t raise his fists to Faith at all.

“Now you listen to me, Detective Yokas,” Bosco hissed, borderline fury in his voice as he got right in Faith’s face. “I care very much for both Danielle and her family and I am going to help them.”

Unable to take any more conflict with two of her children missing, Danielle sighed. “If you’ll all excuse me, I need to be alone for a few minutes,” she said in a tired tone. 

Biting her lip, Danielle retreated into the bedroom that she and Bosco had shared just hours ago. As the bedroom door closed, Sully glared at Faith and Bosco, but said nothing.

“Seriously, you two, what is the matter with you?” Carlos suddenly snapped, his nerves frayed about Kylie being in the hands of monsters. “You guys should just cut the kindergarten crap and FOCUS! Kylie and Ellie were taken by some psychotic freak that is going to hand them over to monsters.”

Bosco and Faith stared at Carlos for a moment, shocked by the normally quiet man’s angry outburst.

“Yeah, that was incredibly immature of me,” Bosco said, his tone full of remorse as he looked in Sully’s direction. “Sully, can you tell Danielle that I’m sorry for getting all upset? It was selfish of me.”

Sully nodded. “She just needs a minute to calm down and then you can tell her yourself, Bosco,” he replied.

“Okay, Bosco, so we need tickets for you, Danielle, Sully, David, Faith, and I,” Carlos said as Bosco sat back in front of the computer and pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket. “Holly said that she’s gonna stay and look after Tommy, but that I should go and find Kylie…she wishes us luck in our search.”

As Bosco began typing in information that would be essential for purchasing tickets to Miami on the earliest flight possible, a groggy looking David walked into the room. Sully bit his lip and all was silent.

“Hey, what’s with all the people?” David asked groggily as he looked around. “Where’s John at?”

Sully sighed. “David, John and Emily Yokas ran off to Miami to find your sister,” he explained in a calming tone as he saw David’s eyes widen in shock. “We’re making arrangements to go to Miami and find them.”

Deep in shock that his brother would do something that stupid, David nodded silently.

Thinking that David was horrified, Sully walked over to David and hugged him, which David accepted.

Secretly, however, David was perceiving John as one who liked and would do anything for attention; anything.


	2. Workings of the Guilty and Innocent

Ignoring the squeal of tires, Edward pulled the van away from the curb in front of a dumpster that was near the Miami-Dade International Airport. A dumpster that now held the dead Dr. Savarrio.

As Edward drove, he could suddenly hear weak mumbling coming from the back. 

A moment later, the battered face of Stetler could be seen in the rearview mirror, "....Eddie, help," Stetler weakly mumbled as he struggled to stay in an upright position. "....please help."

Swearing under his breath, Edward turned off of the main road and stopped the van. "How in the heck are you even still alive?!" he asked as he turned and looked at Stetler.

"...luck," Stetler weakly rasped as he sank back down to the van floor. "....I hurt....lots."

Edward thought for a moment; if he didn't finish off Stetler and dump the body, Bernard might get angry enough to kill him as well. On the other hand, Stetler didn't really deserve to die today.

Maybe, Edward thought, he could just hide Stetler somewhere and not tell Bernard....

Thinking for a moment, Edward smiled cunningly; he could rescue Ricky and frame someone else for the man's injuries. In return, Ricky could provide information that would destroy the MDPD.

Revving up the engine, Edward began to craft a story in his mind as he resumed driving.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
It didn't take much time for the van to arrive at the Baracan Consulate and as the van sat parked inside the gates, Edward helped Stetler walk to the front doors where security guards waited.

"Hello, I am Edward Addison," Edward said in a frantic, but steady tone. "My friend is an injured MDPD cop who was falsely sent to prison. I contacted Ramon Cruz for help on the way here."

Before either security guard could reply, the door opened and Ramon stood there. "Lieutenant Addison, Sergeant Stetler," he said in a welcoming tone. "If you can help Sergeant Stetler inside, Lieutenant, my father is waiting in his office to speak to you while your friend is being helped."

Edward nodded and helped Stetler inside, where the injured Sergeant was immediately whisked away by some Consulate medics. "Did you tell your father the story that I told you to tell him while I was driving over here?" Edward whispered as he followed Ramon towards the General's office.

"Yes, I did," Ramon whispered as they reached the door to the General's office. "Play it up."

As Ramon knocked on the office door, Edward nodded. "Come in," a brisk voice said.

Ramon opened the door, revealing an aged man sitting behind a desk in a suit. "Papi, this is Lieutenant Edward Addison," Ramon said as he led Edward into the office. "I explained to you about the allegations made against him in New York and how he brought a very injured Sergeant Rick Stetler for help. Sergeant Stetler has been falsely accused by the Miami-Dade Crime Lab."

General Cruz nodded. "I have been keeping tabs on the whole situation, Ramon," he replied briskly. "I believe that, based on the facts given by you and media, that Sergeant Stetler and Lieutenant Addison are both justified in seeking sanctuary at this consulate."

Ramon nodded. "I thank you for your mercy, General Cruz," Edward replied in a relieved tone. "My eldest son is in need of some help. He thinks I am this horribly abusive monster and he has thought this ever since childhood. Thanks to his lies, I became disgraced in New York and all I want to do is have a fresh start. I was working on that when I found Sergeant Stetler."

"Do you have an idea as to who might want to harm Sergeant Stetler?" General Cruz asked, concern in his voice. "I find it strange that someone within the police department would hate him that much."

Wanting more time to finely tune a story that would cause trouble for the CSI's, Edward lowered his head. "Forgive me, General, I am very concerned for Sergeant Stetler right now." he said.

"Papi, Lieutenant Addison is so exhausted from these events," Ramon stated, realizing that Edward wanted to provide dirt on the MDPD later. "He could use a rest, I am sure."

General Cruz thought for a moment and nodded. "We can continue this discussion later," he said in an agreeable tone. "Lieutenant Addison, Ramon can show you to your rooms."

Edward gave a respectable nod and followed Ramon from the room. "Just lie low and I will help you craft a credible story," Ramon reassured him as they walked down the hallway. "I can even send someone to the Crime Lab and legally get some of the evidence that will work against them."

"What about Ricky?" Edward hissed. "How do we frame someone else as his assailant?"

Ramon grinned. "I have my ways," he replied cooly. "Just you and Ricky lie low here for now."

Praying that Bernard wouldn't find out about this, Edward nodded and continued following Ramon.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
"Mr. LaRusso? Mr. LaRusso? Officer Delko, can you come help wake Mr. LaRusso?"

Intense cold and numbness racked LaRusso's body as he opened his eyes and saw a male doctor and Eric hovering over him. He could feel a hospital gown covering his upper body and heavy blanket covering his entire body. His eyes felt like weights ready to drop at any moment.

"Welcome back, Mr. LaRusso," the doctor said. "I'm Doctor Loman; how are you feeling?"

LaRusso blinked tiredly. "Terrible." he replied in a groggy voice that he didn't recognize.

"Well, you passed out in the trauma room," Dr. Loman replied with a concerned glance. "Luckily Officer Delko here was able to be of help."

Feeling slightly panicked, LaRusso looked around the room and saw his jacket, vest, shirt, and shoes on a chair in the corner. "I gave you some fluids intravenously and did some x-rays," Dr. Loman explained in a calm tone. "You had five broken ribs, a broken left wrist, a concussion, strange scratches on your chest and a black eye. Fortunately for you, the bullet hole in your shoulder is healing nicely and the broken ribs didn't puncture any lungs."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Eric asked, as he knew LaRusso wouldn't say if he was.

"Maybe, but I don't want anyone looking at my legs," LaRusso groggily stated as he slowly sat up and immediately winced in pain. "Officer Delko, can you get my clothes please? I'm leaving."

Dr. Loman frowned. "Mr. LaRusso, you should really stay and rest," he protested as he watched LaRusso rise unsteadily from the gurney. "I want to admit you for at least 24 hours..."

"It's Officer LaRusso and no thank you," LaRusso groggily argued. "I have to find Maggie...Some guy named Clavo Cruz took my little Maggie; he fired at me and said that some guy named Stewart would like her. I don't care if I AM injured, I can't let some monster have my little girl."

Tears came to LaRusso's eyes and he began to cough violently. "All right, Officer LaRusso, just sit back down," Dr. Loman said as he gently sat LaRusso back down on the gurney. "That coughing concerns me and I want to check your breathing. You might need more tests."

There was silence for a few moments as Dr. Loman placed his stethoscope on LaRusso's back and listened to LaRusso's breathing. "Hm, it sounds like you might have some sort of pneumonia," Dr. Loman said, a tone of concern in his voice. "You need another chest x-ray and some blood taken. I'll go and write up the order and send a nurse in here to get some blood."

"You mentioned that you don't want anyone looking at your legs," Eric quietly commented as Dr. Loman left the room. "What kind of injuries do you have on your legs that need attention?"

LaRusso turned a deep red. "Look, it's embarrassing to talk about, but Amanda kinda got rough with me when she came to my hospital room in New York," he said in a hushed tone. "She closed the hospital room door and she kinda wanted to get wild; she ignored my protests and it hurt a lot."

"You need to tell someone about this," Eric hissed, realizing that LaRusso was talking about injuries from forced intimate relations. "A physical exam needs to be done..."

Shaking his head, LaRusso got up again and slowly moved over to a wheelchair in the corner of the room. "Forget it, you can't technically make me do anything," LaRusso said as he sat down in the wheelchair. "I'll stick around for the blood test and x-ray, but then I'm going to look for my daughter."

Eric sighed and pulled out his cell-phone. "I'll phone Horatio and get him to talk to you," he said, hoping that the threat would make LaRusso back down. "You need more medical attention."

"Do what you want, I don't care," LaRusso answered tonelessly. "I'm not going to submit to a more extensive physical examination, nor am I going to be admitted for observation."

As a nurse came into the room with a blood collecting kit, Eric dialed Horatio's number and put the phone up to his ear. ".....H, it's Eric," he said. "We've run into a little bit of a roadblock..."  
***************************************************************************************************************  
"....All right, Eric, I want you to stay with him and I will be right there," Horatio said into the phone as he sat at his desk, across from Emily. "....Keep him calm and I will see you soon."

Horatio closed his phone and returned it to his jacket pocket. "Apparently, Bobby is refusing a full physical exam and wants to leave the hospital," he said. "I need your help, Miss Wolfe."

Emily nodded. "I'll do what I can to convince him to allow a full physical, but from what I know of Bobby, he's incredibly stubborn," she said as she stood up. "Probably just like you are."

It took a lot of effort for Horatio to repress the grin that threatened to surface as he rose and he and Emily walked into the hallway and towards the elevator. Emily had quite the sense of humor.

As Horatio and Emily reached the elevator, the door slid open and both were very surprised to see Tim step off the elevator with a young lady who looked very nervous.

"Speed?" Horatio asked, gazing at Tim. "What's going on?"

Tim sighed. "This is Emily Yokas," he explained. "She and her friend, John Sullivan, flew here from New York City last night and they were caught at the airport early this morning by Ryan Wolfe."

Horatio raised an eyebrow. "Where are Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Wolfe now?" he asked.

"When we got here, John tried to run off again," Tim replied. "Like at the airport, Ryan chased him and managed to catch him. The kid's in a holding cell right now to cool down and Wolfe's standing guard outside the cell, along with a uniformed officer. John refuses to talk to either of them."

Emily suddenly sighed. "Lieutenant Caine, you had better let me talk to John," she said, her voice full of concern and compassion for the young teen. "I might be able to get through to him."  
All three men stared at Emily. "Before you ask, I can't talk about whether or not I might know the young man in question," Emily stated firmly. "Not unless written consent is provided."

Horatio sighed. "I can talk to Miss Yokas up here about why she and John came to Miami," Tim offered, wondering how Emily knew John Sullivan. 

"You do that, Speed," Horatio replied. "Miss Wolfe, let's go talk to John Sullivan, shall we?"

Emily nodded and followed Horatio into the elevator. Tim led Emily off down the hallway.  
************************************************************************************************************  
The elevator ride down to the holding cells was quiet and upon exiting the elevator, Horatio and Emily spotted Ryan and a uniformed officer lingering outside one of the cells. 

A backpack was in the uniformed officer's hand and it was tagged with an evidence tag.

"Mr. Wolfe," Horatio greeted him with a nod. "Where is Mr. Sullivan at?"

Ryan motioned to the uniformed officer, who removed a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked the cell door. "I won't be long, Lieutenant Caine," Emily said as she entered the cell.

"Miss Wolfe?" Ryan and Horatio heard John ask. "What are you doing here?"

There was a pause. "I could ask you the same thing, John," Emily's voice replied. "What's up?"

Horatio motioned for Ryan to follow. "Over here, Mr. Wolfe," he ordered. "I need to talk to you."

Ryan nodded and moved away from hearing range of the conversation. "You've been LOA for several weeks and I want to know why," Horatio stated firmly. "Is everything all right?"

"I've been working and helping Emily look after Julliet so that she can take it easy," Ryan replied nervously. "I sent in an email request for extended time off and it was approved."

Horatio nodded. "Yes, you did, but you didn't say why," he stated. "That concerns me."

Ryan was silent, so Horatio continued. "I know where you, your sister, and your niece have been living because the apartment building was a crime scene," he explained. "A man named Bob Keaton was killed in the manager's office of a building used to help victims of domestic abuse."

"I can't talk about it, I'm sorry," Ryan replied, knowing that such a reply would upset Horatio.

Before Horatio could reply, there was a loud crash. "John?" Emily's voice yelled. "John?!"

Exchanging a look, Horatio and Ryan ran over to the open cell and saw Emily kneeling next to John, who was convulsing on the floor. "We were talking and suddenly John said that he was dizzy," Emily explained. "Before I could do anything, he fell and suddenly started seizing."

"Mr. Wolfe, go tell the uniformed officer to call for Rescue and wait for them," Horatio ordered, suddenly seeing the backpack on the bench. "Miss Wolfe, go see what is in that backpack."

As Ryan hurried from the cell, Emily moved over to the backpack, "Lieutenant, there's an insulin kit in here..." she began, pulling the kit out of the backpack. “It could be a diabetic seizure."

Before Horatio could reply, Ryan came back into the cell with Alexx. "Rescue's been called," he said. "I also phoned Alexx about this and she insisted on coming down here."

As Alexx moved over to John, he suddenly stopped seizing and went limp. "Someone pass me his insulin kit, I'll give him a glucagon shot," she said as Emily handed her the kit. "Thank you."

Alexx quickly mixed and administered a shot. "Horatio, help me turn him on his side," she said in a gentle tone. "How long was he seizing for?"

"It was about 20 seconds," Emily replied, as when John started seizing, she had checked her watch and timed it. "I yelled for help and then started timing it."

Horatio and Alexx gently rolled John on his left side. "...feel sick," John weakly mumbled even though his eyes remained closed. "....gotta find my sister and Kylie....monsters..."

John then went silent and Emily watched as Alexx began manually checking John's vital signs.

Frowning, Ryan exchanged a look with Horatio. "There are two more girls missing," Horatio said in a dark tone. "Maggie LaRusso was also kidnapped and so three girls are now in the hands of monsters."  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Back at Miami-Dade Airport, Ty walked out of the terminal rolling a suitcase and crossed the street towards a bus station. He could catch a bus there to the hotel he had booked for his stay in Miami.

As Ty sat down to wait for the bus, his cell-phone suddenly started vibrating. Frowning, Ty reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He had a text message.

Ty,

Brendan and I are at Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital. 

When we first got to Miami, we were mugged and Brendan was seriously injured defending me.

Although Brendan will be all right, he still needs to be in the hospital for a few more days and after a lot of discussion, he told me that I could secretly let me contact you about where we are.

I've been hearing nurses talk about how Brendan might be in trouble...We need your help.

Grace

Taking a deep breath, Ty slipped the cell-phone back into his pocket and rose from the bench.

He could find which bus went straight to the hospital and take things from there; even though Brendan had been behaving rather suspiciously as of late, they were still partners and friends.

Gripping the handle of his suitcase, Ty started back across the street to the airport; he didn't know Miami very well and the chances were good that someone in the airport could provide him help.

A strange buzzing noise suddenly caught Ty's attention as he passed an airport-issue dumpster.

Frowning, Ty moved over to the dumpster and opened it using his sleeve. A few flies shot out.

Leaning into the dumpster, Ty was horrified to see a battered body lying on top of garbage.

Standing on his tiptoes, Ty reached down and peered at the ID tag that was clipped to the man's stained white coat. The tag read "Lyle Savarrio, M.D.,"

Wrinkling his nose, Ty moved away from the dumpster, pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket, and called 9-1-1. "Hello, this is Ty Davis," Ty said into the phone. "I just found a body in a dumpster..."


	3. Fraying Nerves and Limited Time

Ignoring the squeal of tires, Edward pulled the van away from the curb in front of a dumpster that was near the Miami-Dade International Airport. A dumpster that now held the dead Dr. Savarrio.

As Edward drove, he could suddenly hear weak mumbling coming from the back. 

A moment later, the battered face of Stetler could be seen in the rearview mirror, "....Eddie, help," Stetler weakly mumbled as he struggled to stay in an upright position. "....please help."

Swearing under his breath, Edward turned off of the main road and stopped the van. "How in the heck are you even still alive?!" he asked as he turned and looked at Stetler.

"...luck," Stetler weakly rasped as he sank back down to the van floor. "....I hurt....lots."

Edward thought for a moment; if he didn't finish off Stetler and dump the body, Bernard might get angry enough to kill him as well. On the other hand, Stetler didn't really deserve to die today.

Maybe, Edward thought, he could just hide Stetler somewhere and not tell Bernard....

Thinking for a moment, Edward smiled cunningly; he could rescue Ricky and frame someone else for the man's injuries. In return, Ricky could provide information that would destroy the MDPD.

Revving up the engine, Edward began to craft a story in his mind as he resumed driving.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
It didn't take much time for the van to arrive at the Baracan Consulate and as the van sat parked inside the gates, Edward helped Stetler walk to the front doors where security guards waited.

"Hello, I am Edward Addison," Edward said in a frantic, but steady tone. "My friend is an injured MDPD cop who was falsely sent to prison. I contacted Ramon Cruz for help on the way here."

Before either security guard could reply, the door opened and Ramon stood there. "Lieutenant Addison, Sergeant Stetler," he said in a welcoming tone. "If you can help Sergeant Stetler inside, Lieutenant, my father is waiting in his office to speak to you while your friend is being helped."

Edward nodded and helped Stetler inside, where the injured Sergeant was immediately whisked away by some Consulate medics. "Did you tell your father the story that I told you to tell him while I was driving over here?" Edward whispered as he followed Ramon towards the General's office.

"Yes, I did," Ramon whispered as they reached the door to the General's office. "Play it up."

As Ramon knocked on the office door, Edward nodded. "Come in," a brisk voice said.

Ramon opened the door, revealing an aged man sitting behind a desk in a suit. "Papi, this is Lieutenant Edward Addison," Ramon said as he led Edward into the office. "I explained to you about the allegations made against him in New York and how he brought a very injured Sergeant Rick Stetler for help. Sergeant Stetler has been falsely accused by the Miami-Dade Crime Lab."

General Cruz nodded. "I have been keeping tabs on the whole situation, Ramon," he replied briskly. "I believe that, based on the facts given by you and media, that Sergeant Stetler and Lieutenant Addison are both justified in seeking sanctuary at this consulate."

Ramon nodded. "I thank you for your mercy, General Cruz," Edward replied in a relieved tone. "My eldest son is in need of some help. He thinks I am this horribly abusive monster and he has thought this ever since childhood. Thanks to his lies, I became disgraced in New York and all I want to do is have a fresh start. I was working on that when I found Sergeant Stetler."

"Do you have an idea as to who might want to harm Sergeant Stetler?" General Cruz asked, concern in his voice. "I find it strange that someone within the police department would hate him that much."

Wanting more time to finely tune a story that would cause trouble for the CSI's, Edward lowered his head. "Forgive me, General, I am very concerned for Sergeant Stetler right now." he said.

"Papi, Lieutenant Addison is so exhausted from these events," Ramon stated, realizing that Edward wanted to provide dirt on the MDPD later. "He could use a rest, I am sure."

General Cruz thought for a moment and nodded. "We can continue this discussion later," he said in an agreeable tone. "Lieutenant Addison, Ramon can show you to your rooms."

Edward gave a respectable nod and followed Ramon from the room. "Just lie low and I will help you craft a credible story," Ramon reassured him as they walked down the hallway. "I can even send someone to the Crime Lab and legally get some of the evidence that will work against them."

"What about Ricky?" Edward hissed. "How do we frame someone else as his assailant?"

Ramon grinned. "I have my ways," he replied cooly. "Just you and Ricky lie low here for now."

Praying that Bernard wouldn't find out about this, Edward nodded and continued following Ramon.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
"Mr. LaRusso? Mr. LaRusso? Officer Delko, can you come help wake Mr. LaRusso?"

Intense cold and numbness racked LaRusso's body as he opened his eyes and saw a male doctor and Eric hovering over him. He could feel a hospital gown covering his upper body and heavy blanket covering his entire body. His eyes felt like weights ready to drop at any moment.

"Welcome back, Mr. LaRusso," the doctor said. "I'm Doctor Loman; how are you feeling?"

LaRusso blinked tiredly. "Terrible." he replied in a groggy voice that he didn't recognize.

"Well, you passed out in the trauma room," Dr. Loman replied with a concerned glance. "Luckily Officer Delko here was able to be of help."

Feeling slightly panicked, LaRusso looked around the room and saw his jacket, vest, shirt, and shoes on a chair in the corner. "I gave you some fluids intravenously and did some x-rays," Dr. Loman explained in a calm tone. "You had five broken ribs, a broken left wrist, a concussion, strange scratches on your chest and a black eye. Fortunately for you, the bullet hole in your shoulder is healing nicely and the broken ribs didn't puncture any lungs."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Eric asked, as he knew LaRusso wouldn't say if he was.

"Maybe, but I don't want anyone looking at my legs," LaRusso groggily stated as he slowly sat up and immediately winced in pain. "Officer Delko, can you get my clothes please? I'm leaving."

Dr. Loman frowned. "Mr. LaRusso, you should really stay and rest," he protested as he watched LaRusso rise unsteadily from the gurney. "I want to admit you for at least 24 hours..."

"It's Officer LaRusso and no thank you," LaRusso groggily argued. "I have to find Maggie...Some guy named Clavo Cruz took my little Maggie; he fired at me and said that some guy named Stewart would like her. I don't care if I AM injured, I can't let some monster have my little girl."

Tears came to LaRusso's eyes and he began to cough violently. "All right, Officer LaRusso, just sit back down," Dr. Loman said as he gently sat LaRusso back down on the gurney. "That coughing concerns me and I want to check your breathing. You might need more tests."

There was silence for a few moments as Dr. Loman placed his stethoscope on LaRusso's back and listened to LaRusso's breathing. "Hm, it sounds like you might have some sort of pneumonia," Dr. Loman said, a tone of concern in his voice. "You need another chest x-ray and some blood taken. I'll go and write up the order and send a nurse in here to get some blood."

"You mentioned that you don't want anyone looking at your legs," Eric quietly commented as Dr. Loman left the room. "What kind of injuries do you have on your legs that need attention?"

LaRusso turned a deep red. "Look, it's embarrassing to talk about, but Amanda kinda got rough with me when she came to my hospital room in New York," he said in a hushed tone. "She closed the hospital room door and she kinda wanted to get wild; she ignored my protests and it hurt a lot."

"You need to tell someone about this," Eric hissed, realizing that LaRusso was talking about injuries from forced intimate relations. "A physical exam needs to be done..."

Shaking his head, LaRusso got up again and slowly moved over to a wheelchair in the corner of the room. "Forget it, you can't technically make me do anything," LaRusso said as he sat down in the wheelchair. "I'll stick around for the blood test and x-ray, but then I'm going to look for my daughter."

Eric sighed and pulled out his cell-phone. "I'll phone Horatio and get him to talk to you," he said, hoping that the threat would make LaRusso back down. "You need more medical attention."

"Do what you want, I don't care," LaRusso answered tonelessly. "I'm not going to submit to a more extensive physical examination, nor am I going to be admitted for observation."

As a nurse came into the room with a blood collecting kit, Eric dialed Horatio's number and put the phone up to his ear. ".....H, it's Eric," he said. "We've run into a little bit of a roadblock..."  
***************************************************************************************************************  
"....All right, Eric, I want you to stay with him and I will be right there," Horatio said into the phone as he sat at his desk, across from Emily. "....Keep him calm and I will see you soon."

Horatio closed his phone and returned it to his jacket pocket. "Apparently, Bobby is refusing a full physical exam and wants to leave the hospital," he said. "I need your help, Miss Wolfe."

Emily nodded. "I'll do what I can to convince him to allow a full physical, but from what I know of Bobby, he's incredibly stubborn," she said as she stood up. "Probably just like you are."

It took a lot of effort for Horatio to repress the grin that threatened to surface as he rose and he and Emily walked into the hallway and towards the elevator. Emily had quite the sense of humor.

As Horatio and Emily reached the elevator, the door slid open and both were very surprised to see Tim step off the elevator with a young lady who looked very nervous.

"Speed?" Horatio asked, gazing at Tim. "What's going on?"

Tim sighed. "This is Emily Yokas," he explained. "She and her friend, John Sullivan, flew here from New York City last night and they were caught at the airport early this morning by Ryan Wolfe."

Horatio raised an eyebrow. "Where are Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Wolfe now?" he asked.

"When we got here, John tried to run off again," Tim replied. "Like at the airport, Ryan chased him and managed to catch him. The kid's in a holding cell right now to cool down and Wolfe's standing guard outside the cell, along with a uniformed officer. John refuses to talk to either of them."

Emily suddenly sighed. "Lieutenant Caine, you had better let me talk to John," she said, her voice full of concern and compassion for the young teen. "I might be able to get through to him."  
All three men stared at Emily. "Before you ask, I can't talk about whether or not I might know the young man in question," Emily stated firmly. "Not unless written consent is provided."

Horatio sighed. "I can talk to Miss Yokas up here about why she and John came to Miami," Tim offered, wondering how Emily knew John Sullivan. 

"You do that, Speed," Horatio replied. "Miss Wolfe, let's go talk to John Sullivan, shall we?"

Emily nodded and followed Horatio into the elevator. Tim led Emily off down the hallway.  
************************************************************************************************************  
The elevator ride down to the holding cells was quiet and upon exiting the elevator, Horatio and Emily spotted Ryan and a uniformed officer lingering outside one of the cells. 

A backpack was in the uniformed officer's hand and it was tagged with an evidence tag.

"Mr. Wolfe," Horatio greeted him with a nod. "Where is Mr. Sullivan at?"

Ryan motioned to the uniformed officer, who removed a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked the cell door. "I won't be long, Lieutenant Caine," Emily said as she entered the cell.

"Miss Wolfe?" Ryan and Horatio heard John ask. "What are you doing here?"

There was a pause. "I could ask you the same thing, John," Emily's voice replied. "What's up?"

Horatio motioned for Ryan to follow. "Over here, Mr. Wolfe," he ordered. "I need to talk to you."

Ryan nodded and moved away from hearing range of the conversation. "You've been LOA for several weeks and I want to know why," Horatio stated firmly. "Is everything all right?"

"I've been working and helping Emily look after Julliet so that she can take it easy," Ryan replied nervously. "I sent in an email request for extended time off and it was approved."

Horatio nodded. "Yes, you did, but you didn't say why," he stated. "That concerns me."

Ryan was silent, so Horatio continued. "I know where you, your sister, and your niece have been living because the apartment building was a crime scene," he explained. "A man named Bob Keaton was killed in the manager's office of a building used to help victims of domestic abuse."

"I can't talk about it, I'm sorry," Ryan replied, knowing that such a reply would upset Horatio.

Before Horatio could reply, there was a loud crash. "John?" Emily's voice yelled. "John?!"

Exchanging a look, Horatio and Ryan ran over to the open cell and saw Emily kneeling next to John, who was convulsing on the floor. "We were talking and suddenly John said that he was dizzy," Emily explained. "Before I could do anything, he fell and suddenly started seizing."

"Mr. Wolfe, go tell the uniformed officer to call for Rescue and wait for them," Horatio ordered, suddenly seeing the backpack on the bench. "Miss Wolfe, go see what is in that backpack."

As Ryan hurried from the cell, Emily moved over to the backpack, "Lieutenant, there's an insulin kit in here..." she began, pulling the kit out of the backpack. “It could be a diabetic seizure."

Before Horatio could reply, Ryan came back into the cell with Alexx. "Rescue's been called," he said. "I also phoned Alexx about this and she insisted on coming down here."

As Alexx moved over to John, he suddenly stopped seizing and went limp. "Someone pass me his insulin kit, I'll give him a glucagon shot," she said as Emily handed her the kit. "Thank you."

Alexx quickly mixed and administered a shot. "Horatio, help me turn him on his side," she said in a gentle tone. "How long was he seizing for?"

"It was about 20 seconds," Emily replied, as when John started seizing, she had checked her watch and timed it. "I yelled for help and then started timing it."

Horatio and Alexx gently rolled John on his left side. "...feel sick," John weakly mumbled even though his eyes remained closed. "....gotta find my sister and Kylie....monsters..."

John then went silent and Emily watched as Alexx began manually checking John's vital signs.

Frowning, Ryan exchanged a look with Horatio. "There are two more girls missing," Horatio said in a dark tone. "Maggie LaRusso was also kidnapped and so three girls are now in the hands of monsters."  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Back at Miami-Dade Airport, Ty walked out of the terminal rolling a suitcase and crossed the street towards a bus station. He could catch a bus there to the hotel he had booked for his stay in Miami.

As Ty sat down to wait for the bus, his cell-phone suddenly started vibrating. Frowning, Ty reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He had a text message.

Ty,

Brendan and I are at Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital. 

When we first got to Miami, we were mugged and Brendan was seriously injured defending me.

Although Brendan will be all right, he still needs to be in the hospital for a few more days and after a lot of discussion, he told me that I could secretly let me contact you about where we are.

I've been hearing nurses talk about how Brendan might be in trouble...We need your help.

Grace

Taking a deep breath, Ty slipped the cell-phone back into his pocket and rose from the bench.

He could find which bus went straight to the hospital and take things from there; even though Brendan had been behaving rather suspiciously as of late, they were still partners and friends.

Gripping the handle of his suitcase, Ty started back across the street to the airport; he didn't know Miami very well and the chances were good that someone in the airport could provide him help.

A strange buzzing noise suddenly caught Ty's attention as he passed an airport-issue dumpster.

Frowning, Ty moved over to the dumpster and opened it using his sleeve. A few flies shot out.

Leaning into the dumpster, Ty was horrified to see a battered body lying on top of garbage.

Standing on his tiptoes, Ty reached down and peered at the ID tag that was clipped to the man's stained white coat. The tag read "Lyle Savarrio, M.D.,"

Wrinkling his nose, Ty moved away from the dumpster, pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket, and called 9-1-1. "Hello, this is Ty Davis," Ty said into the phone. "I just found a body in a dumpster..."


	4. Good Intentions, Bad Results

Miami-Dade Memorial - Peds Floor - Miami, Florida

"....Eric, I want you to stay here and keep Mr. Sullivan company," a calmly toned voice spoke. "I don't wish to disrupt his recovery at this moment in time, but if he does happen to wake up, I would like you to see what he can tell you about this situation..."

Despite his eyelids feeling incredibly heavy and being hard to open, John could faintly see that Miss Wolfe was still in the room, along with Officer Delko. Another man, one who was dressed in dark clothes and had a strange shade of blonde hair, was also in the room with his back turned.

"H, where are you going to be?" John heard Officer Delko ask. "Just in case there's a problem."

John listened as the blonde-haired man sighed, "I am going to talk to my very stubborn nephew about accepting more medical treatment," he replied. "Miss Wolfe is going to help me."

"Okay, do you think Mr. Sullivan would mind if I used the bathroom?" John heard Officer Delko as as his eyes fell shut again. "It'll only take a few minutes."

There were footsteps, followed by a door opening and closing. "Hey, John, I dunno if you can hear me or not, but I'm just gonna use the bathroom in here," Officer Delko's voice said as footsteps moved away from the bed. "I'll only be a few minutes; don't worry, just rest."

As another door opened and clicked shut, John opened his eyes and looked around.

I'm alone again. Now is my opportunity to make everything right; to save innocents. John thought.

Ignoring the fact that he felt absolutely terrible, John quietly got out of bed and moved over to the closet. He opened it and, ditching his gown, he dressed in his jeans and t-shirt. The hoodie and shoes would take too much trouble to put on and his backpack would also be too much to carry, even though it contained his injection kit. He pulled the IV's from his arms.

Holding back a yawn, John moved over to the bed and picking up a chair in a weak grip, he quietly placed it against the bathroom door at an angle. He then noticed a pad of paper and a pen on the portable table that he assumed Officer Delko was going to use to eventually question him.

Letting out a tired sigh, John quickly scribbled a note and dropped the pen on the floor.

His feet were so cold; maybe he should take his sneakers, just in case...

Taking great care to be quiet, John moved back over to the closet and picking his shoes up, he pulled the laces out and slowly put the laceless sneakers over his bare feet, dropping the laces.

"I'm so sorry," John whispered in a faint voice as he moved quietly out of the room.

Now that he was going to make things right, John figured that everyone would be better off.  
*************************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Memorial - Recovery Floor - Miami, Florida

Ignoring the concerned look that Dr. Loman was giving him, LaRusso sighed and gazed out the window of the hospital room that he had just been admitted to for the next few days.

"You should really be in bed," Dr. Loman said in a concerned tone. "You need lots of rest."

LaRusso turned his back, grateful that a nurse had given him a hospital housecoat to wear over his gown after the x-ray was done. The room was so cold and he felt incredibly weak.

However, the fear of what would happen now that he was away from New York was enough to keep LaRusso from resting. He would have to deal with Amanda's issues eventually, which meant that he would have to go back to New York and tell his own partner; about the issues.

The combined thoughts of Maggie being in the hands of child molesters and Amanda's mental problems being exposed caused LaRusso to unknowingly massage his forehead with his right hand. He often got headaches from personal stress and it annoyed him to no end.

Suddenly, LaRusso could feel a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Are you having another stress headache or is it a symptom of the pneumonia you've been hiding?" he suddenly heard a gentle, yet very firm masculine voice ask him. "Turn around and look at me, Bobby, come on. "

Recognizing the voice as that of his uncle's, LaRusso turned and saw Horatio standing mere feet away from him. He could also see that Dr. Loman had put an x-ray on a lightboard.

"I don't have pneumonia, Uncle Horatio," LaRusso protested even though he knew it was a lie.

Horatio gestured to the x-ray. "Dr. Loman showed Eric this x-ray of your chest and your other test results and Eric relayed the information to me," he stated. "You let walking pnuemonia develop into full blown pneumonia. I want to know why you didn't go to a doctor in New York."

"It's not like I had a choice," LaRusso quietly replied. "Amanda would have been furious if I had gone to the doctor; she force-fed me some gross tasting medicine so that I could keep working. and when I got home each night, she sent the kids to bed early and insisted that we play."

Anxious about what his uncle would think of him now, LaRusso made to turn away quickly, but suddenly began coughing violently. He swallowed hard and placed a hand on his chest.

"All right, that's it, you are going to rest," Horatio stated firmly as he gently took his nephew's uninjured hand and guided him over to the hospital bed. "You're in pain, aren't you?"

Horatio pushed the blankets back with his free hand and gently sat LaRusso down on the bed, upset that his nephew was having to deal with this now. "Just lie down, all right?" he said.

Annoyed that his uncle knew him so well, LaRusso obediently laid his head on the pillow and lifted his jean-clad legs so that they were on the bed. "Why won't you let anyone look at your legs, Bobby?" Horatio asked in a concerned tone. "I think you should get them examined."

"Will you stay and not judge me for what you might see?" LaRusso asked in a faint voice, as he was slowly succumbing to the need for sleep his body was demanding.

Horatio nodded and carefully removed both of his nephew's worn shoes, revealing sweat-encrusted white socks. He then set the shoes on the bed and carefully peeled the socks from the younger man's feet, revealing swollen feet that were covered in bruises and callouses.

"Uncle Horatio, my boys...," LaRusso began, his voice faint. "I also have to find Maggie..."

Horatio motioned for Dr. Loman to come over to the bed. "Don't worry about that now, Bobby, I'll phone Mrs. Speedle and check on them for you," he reassured his nephew as he gently removed Bobby's jeans and promptly covered his bruised legs up with blankets to keep them warm. 

"Maggie, my little angel," Bobby groggily whispered as Dr. Loman carefully slipped an oxygen tube around his head and into his nose. "Uncle Horatio, I have to find he before she's killed."

Horatio sighed. "You just need to rest," he replied. "Start taking care of yourself."

Before LaRusso could reply, Eric entered the room. "H, we've got a problem," he said as Horatio turned around. "While I was in the bathroom, that John Sullivan kid grabbed some of his clothes and took off...he placed a chair against the bathroom door and a nurse had to let me out."

Emily, who had been silently lingering out of LaRusso's view while Horatio did the talking, quickly pulled her cell-phone from her jeans pocket. "John's mom, Danielle, is on her way from New York, I'd better call Danielle and update her," she said, ignoring the glance Eric shot at her.

Horatio silently waited as Emily dialled a number and held the phone up to her ear. "Dang it, the phone's off," Emily said as she flipped the phone shut and pocketed it. "She must be on the plane. Danielle said that she wouldn't be able to use the cell-phone during the flight."

"Eric, you and Miss Wolfe go back to the PD," Horatio ordered. "I am staying here...for now."

Horatio turned his attention back to his nephew, who was obviously in a great amount of pain because of his ribs, face, and wrist. Eric and Emily exchanged a look and silently left the room.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Biscayne Park - Miami, Florida

Letting out a deep sigh, Marisol parked her car beside the curb closest to the park, rolled down her window, and smiled as she inhaled the relaxing aroma of rain. That smell was rather relaxing.

It was an off-day from the chemo and Marisol felt well enough to travel around Miami, but she didn't want to call Eric and pull him away from work; she wanted to have some alone time.

As Marisol opened her eyes with the smell still fresh, she spotted a dark-haired young man dressed in sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt walking unsteadily across the damp grass. She saw that blood was running down both of his arms and he had a glazed expression on his face.

Frowning, Marisol got out of the car and moved quickly across the grass towards the young man. "Hey, kid, are you okay?" she asked as she gently placed a hand on the kid's shoulder.

Not recognizing the woman who stood before him, John took a step back. "It's okay, my name is Marisol Delko," Marisol said in a gentle tone. "I want to help you if you'll let me."

John gave Marisol a look. "I'm not feeling too great," he replied in a weak voice. "I'm diabetic...I think I need some insulin and something to eat...I left my backpack at the hospital...."

Marisol nodded. "Why don't I take you back there so you can get it?" she offered, being careful to keep her tone gentle. "Which hospital are you supposed to be at, anyway?"

"Miami-Dade Memorial," John replied softly. "My legs feel like sandbags. I'm so tired."

Concerned for this young man's health, Marisol slipped her arm through his own. "C'mon, I'll take you back there." she said, gently leading him across the grass. "You're gonna be okay."

John nodded and as he allowed Marisol to lead him towards her car, a black truck with tinted, completely rolled-up windows sputtered to a stop in the middle of the road. 

Without warning, the driver's side door opened and a tall, skinny man dressed in jeans, a dark shirt and boots came out of the truck carrying a semi-conscious little girl in his arms. 

"Give me your keys, chica," Clavo spat as he laid the girl on the ground and pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. "I need a getaway ride."

As Clavo advanced on Marisol, John quickly moved in front of her. "I don't think so," he said, his tired voice suddenly taking a sharp edge to it. "You leave the lady alone and get out of here."

Clavo stopped for a moment and studied John. "You have the same spunk as your old man, JT," he hissed, amused malice in his voice. "I heard you're part of a gang in New York."

Before John could react, Clavo moved closer to them and grabbed Marisol. "Ohh, chica, you are so pretty," he cooed as he pulled Marisol close to him. "A good lady for your daddy, JT."

Marisol tried to pull away, but Clavo struck her with his gun. "Now, now chica, settle down," he said, glaring at John. "It's because of JT's old man that I'm even doing this."

Adrenaline pumping through his body, John lunged at Clavo and knocked him to the ground, grabbing the gun. "I'll shoot you if you don't leave right now," John hissed.

Clavo grinned, got to his feet and knocked John over with one swipe. "I guess I'll just have to put you somewhere for safe keeping until your old man can deal with you," he hissed.

"Why are you doing this?" Marisol cried as Clavo popped the trunk and wrenched it open.

Clavo pulled a bottle of chloroform and a rag out of the trunk. "This'll keep you quiet for your ride to the devil," he said, amusement in his voice as he opened the bottle and drenched the rag.

John tried to pull away, but Clavo grabbed him and forced the drenched rag over his mouth and nose. "When you wake up, the devil will be there," he said, grinning as John's eyes drooped.

Once John was unconscious, Clavo threw the rag on the ground and scooped John's body up off the road. "What a lightweight," he complained as he placed John in the trunk and closed it.

Grinning maliciously, Clavo turned his attention to Marisol. "I need a driver," he said, pointing the gun straight at her heart. "If you do exactly as I say, both you and Maggie LaRusso will live."

Her entire body shaking, Marisol unlocked the car and watched as Clavo picked the little girl up in his arms. "I'll tell you where to go," Clavo said as he put Maggie in the backseat and got into the passenger side with the gun still in his hands. "HURRY UP!"

Worried that the girl and the young man would die if she didn't obey, Marisol quickly got behind the wheel and started the car, closing the driver's side door as the engine ran.

As Clavo slammed the passenger door and the car sped off, Ray came out from behind a tree with a videorecorder aimed at the car. He let it run for a few minutes more, then shut it off.

Being an undercover DEA agent for the Feds was supposed to have been the plan, but he had met Natalia Boa Vista a year ago and had gotten involved with Victims Assistance. 

Shortly after that, the Cruz brothers had discovered his cover and captured him, intending to drug him into submission and sell him off as a slave to contacts in Baracas. 

Fortunately, Ray had managed to fight off the effects of the drugs and ended his stay with the Cruz brothers by freeing a battered Emily Wolfe from captivity before they could destroy her.

Despite being tight with Bernard, Ray knew from the beginning that neither Clavo nor Ramon really intended to stay loyal to that man; they would hide behind their immunity at the first sign of legal trouble and allow Bernard to take the fall. They had intended to keep Emily for themselves.

After making sure that Emily Wolfe was safe, Ray had taken to quiet spying from a distance.

Ever since John Sullivan had arrived in Miami, he had been on Ray and Natalia's radar because Ray had been hiding out at the airport that night and had seen the entire chase. 

Once placed under the radar of Victims Assistance, one was always watched over from a distance just in case past factors cropped up again...nobody was ever left truly alone.

With the whole encounter between John, Marisol Delko, and Clavo on tape, Ray knew that he would have to slip into the MDPD Crime Lab, plant the tape, and spirit himself into the wind.

Even though he knew where Devil's Mansion was and where Clavo would most likely drop John off before returning to the mansion with Marisol and Maggie LaRusso, Ray couldn't blow his cover to stage a rescue operation. He had already cut it close with rescuing Emily Wolfe before the tsunami and the Feds had warned him that he couldn't risk blowing his cover again.

Due to the fact that John Sullivan had mentioned diabetes, however, Ray was willing to risk his cover just enough to get the tape to CSI's who would, in turn, hopefully be able to do a rescue.

Not only was John Sullivan's health on the line, the lives of Maggie LaRusso and Marisol Delko could also end up in serious jeopardy after the captors had gotten satisfaction from them.

Looking around to ensure that he wasn't seen, Ray ducked back behind the tree and silently fled.


	5. Zones of Tension and Torture

Miami-Dade Memorial Intensive Care Unit - Miami, Florida

Ignoring the curious looks they were getting from nurses, Ty and Tripp continued down the hallway towards a door that was slightly ajar and led into a private patient room.

Traffic made getting to the hospital from the airport nearly unbearable, but, once they got to the hospital, Tripp had used his Southern charm to get the location of Brendan Finney's room from the very young, pretty, and somewhat naive clerk that was hanging around the main desk.

Now, as both officers approached the room, they could hear a very soft voice and snoring.

Taking great care to be quiet, Ty and Tripp pushed open the door and entered the very quiet hospital room. Thanks to a small amount of light in the room, they could see a woman sitting in a chair next to a hospital bed; apparently, the person in bed was the source of the snoring.

"Ty?" Grace said as she got up from her chair and quietly moved over to where Ty and Tripp were standing. "Brendan said I could text you. Did you just get to Miami?"

Ty shook his head. "It's a little more complicated than that," he replied absentmindedly as he walked over to the bed and was shocked to see Brendan's condition. "Brendan?"

Brendan remained asleep, causing Ty to frown in concern and look at Grace. "We were coming out of the airport and some guy tried to steal my purse," she explained as she suddenly noticed Tripp was in the room. "Who are you?"

"Detective Frank Tripp, I'm with the Miami PD," Tripp explained in a gentle tone. "Your husband's NYPD badge was found at the scene of a murder; care to explain why you are both in Miami?"

Grace was silent, "....I had some trouble with a Fred Yokas and Lieutenant Addison," Brendan's groggy voice suddenly replied from the bed. "I just wanted to get away from New York for a while; they knew my father somehow and they reminded me that I am my father's son."

"Officer Finney, are you aware of the fact that your NYPD badge was found at the scene of a murder not too long ago?" Tripp asked, wanting to get right to business. "Now, based on your appearance, I doubt that you could have been involved, but your badge..."

Seeing the worried look on Grace's face, Brendan held up one of his IV-laden hands, "Ty, take Grace to the cafeteria or for a walk somewhere," he said in a firm tone as he gave Ty a determined look. "I want to talk to Detective Tripp alone and I don't want either of you involved."

Ty opened his mouth to protest, but Brendan glared at him, "Ty, please, just take Grace and get out of here for a little while," Brendan stated firmly. "I need to start making things right."

Ty nodded and taking Grace's arm, he was about to lead her from the room when the door opened and Eric came into the room. He looked at Ty, Brendan, Grace, and Tripp for a moment.

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding that Sullivan kid, Delko?" Tripp asked, surprised to see Eric standing there. "I heard from Horatio that you were keeping an eye on him."

Grace watched as Eric hesitated and looked at the floor. "What's happened?" she asked.

"Sullivan as in JT?" Brendan asked, worried that the kid from New York was in some sort of trouble that he was unable to get himself out of. "Ty and I met that kid's little brother back in Manhattan."

Eric sighed. "The kid put a chair in front of the bathroom door and took off while I was using the facilities," he explained, irritation in his voice. "He left a blue hoodie in the room's closet as well as his backpack that has his diabetic stuff in it; maybe he thought it would be too heavy."

"Did you bag and tag the hoodie to take back to the lab?" Tripp asked, as he couldn't see that Eric had any evidence bag in his hands. "Or did you just leave the room unsecured?"

Eric scoffed. "Speedle came, processed the room, and took evidence back to the lab," he replied in an annoyed tone. "His mother came to the lab and took Emily Yokas to her house...I phoned Speedle for help when I got out of the bathroom...Speed can get work done pretty quickly."

"Ty, take Grace and go," Brendan said, his voice quivering with regret about that his involvement with Lt. Addison and Fred Yokas may have had consequences. "I need to talk with Detective Tripp alone and take the consequences, whatever they might end up being; just get out."

Unnerved by Brendan's unusually cold demeanor, Ty nodded and silently escorted Grace from the hospital room. "Delko, maybe you better go," Tripp said, knowing that Officer Finney wouldn't most likely talk unless the two of them were alone. "I'll catch up with you later on."

Giving Brendan a suspicious look, Eric nodded and silently left the room at a quick walk.

As Brendan gave a sigh of relief, Tripp turned back to him. "All right, Finney, now you tell me what's going on," he said as he pulled out a tape recorder from his pocket. "Start from the beginning."  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Gazing around to make sure that nobody he knew had seen him coming from the apartment building, Detective Hagen moved back towards his car, which was parked down the block.

He had called Emily from a pay-phone and despite being on her way to the PD, Emily had quickly come back to the building and let him inside the apartment without anyone noticing. 

Since she had been fired from the hospital and hadn't been called back into work at the other ones since being freed, she had lost most of her clients except for a select few who were also friends.

Once they were alone in the apartment that Emily shared with Ryan and Julliet, he had talked with Emily about his desire to get back on duty with the MDPD, but he needed help with some issues that were proving problematic in getting the department shrink's approval to return to work.

Ever since Emily had first come to Miami and begun working with the hospital, he had made appointments with her so that he could get help for the issues that stemmed all the way back to when Ray Caine had been brutally murdered in the line of duty. 

Although he had made some progress, Detective Hagen knew that he still had a ways to go before he would be able to get Emily's backup in getting cleared by the Homicide psychologist, but that it would be possible for him to eventually return to work. Emily had agreed with that theory.

As John got behind the wheel of his car, he knew that Emily was now alone in the apartment with her thoughts, most likely resting with the phone unplugged and her cell-phone set to vibrate.

Personally, Detective Hagen was astounded that Emily could hide secrets so well, especially from a person as persistent as Horatio Caine was; in all honesty, ever since Emily had returned from being abducted and tortured, Hagen knew that her personality and manner had definitely changed.

With a sigh, he turned the key and started the engine, letting it rev for a few minutes.

A hand suddenly clamped down on his left shoulder. "John Hagen, it's been a while," a cool, yet very familiar voice hissed in Hagen's ear. "I'm assuming you know who I am."

Eyes wide, Detective Hagen looked in his rearview mirror and saw Ray, dressed completely in black with gloves to finish off the ensemble, sitting in his backseat with sunglasses over his eyes.

"You're supposed to be dead," Detective Hagen hissed. "How did you get into my car?"

Ray reached into his pocket for a moment and held up a small tape. "Take this to the Crime Lab, it's got important information on it," he said as he tossed the tape on the passenger seat. "I know you're off duty for a bad back, but I'm sure they'll be happy to receive a visit from you at the lab."

"How come you faked your death, Ray?" Detective Hagen asked, fear in his voice. "Do you realize what you being killed the same week we stopped being partners has done to my sanity?"

Ray sighed. "Hagen, there will be a time for explanations later," he replied in a calm, yet controllingly cool tone. "Take that to the lab and then go keep watch on Detective Salas and my son, Ray Junior...Do not tell them that I am alive, say you were assigned to keep an eye on them."

Detective Hagen was silent. "Keep going to counseling with Emily Wolfe, she can help you," Ray stated firmly. "As a counselor, she's bound by rules of confidentiality so confide in her."

"You...you rescued her from the Cruz brothers, didn't you?" Detective Hagen guessed, as there was no way that Emily could have escaped on her own, as she was in poor condition according to police reports that he had gotten access to in his off-time. "You've been undercover, haven't you?"

Ray flinched, "Don't talk about it at all, Hagen," he hissed. "Just act like nothing's wrong."

"Everything's wrong, Ray," Detective Hagen argued in a soft tone. "Something is seriously wrong with Emily and she's not doing anything about it. If she got sick as a result of her abduction…"

Ray held up a hand. "A diabetic kid and a cancer ridden woman just got abducted by a psychotic guy with diplomatic immunity and three little girls are missing," he stated in a mean tone. "I may not know much, but I know that Emily Wolfe will put her own problems aside to be of assistance."

Detective Hagen opened his mouth to protest, but Ray hissed. "Hagen, don't complicate things even further, just get the tape to the right people," he said, a sigh in his voice. "I'll talk with Emily myself and make sure that she's all right. Just do what I ask you and keep a low profile."

As Detective Hagen found himself nodding, Ray smirked. "Not only that, but Bob Keaton is dead and that complicates my own work even further," he stated. "Stay safe, Hagen, I mean it."

In silence, Ray got out of the car and promptly disappeared through the building's front doors.

Fighting the urge to vomit, Detective Hagen put the car into gear and sped off down the street.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Crime Lab

Fighting the urge to yawn, Tim blinked and continued using a magnifying glass to study the note that had come out of the envelope that had been left for John Sullivan at Coney Island.

The handwriting was hardly readable and the message seemed to be in some sort of code:

JT,

If you want the innocent to stay innocent, you had better fly south with quick wings.

Nightmares Never End

With such a cryptic nickname, Tim figured it very unlikely that he would be able to find out who wrote that note, but perhaps he could find out if this Sullivan kid had any obvious enemies. He sighed and turning his attention to the nearby computer, he typed in John Sullivan and waited, hoping for some sort of hit.

Almost immediately, a photo of John popped up with his name and a reference back to a file that was dated June of last year; the kid was also listed as one protected under the MDPD Victims Assistance Unit.

Tim scoffed and resisted the urge to hit the desktop; there was obviously more to this Sullivan kid than anyone had originally guessed and with him now in the wind, Emily Wolfe was the next available resource that they had to work with. The only problem was, that woman was also very vague and hard to find.

It didn't help that the kid had left a hoodie and a backpack filled with diabetes medication behind as he ran to who knows where; the kid would eventually get sick and could die without that stuff.

Time was not on anyone's side today; not if they wanted to find the kid still alive.

The camera had been no help, it was empty and must have been left to throw investigators off the trail.

Chaos would hit the fan once John Sullivan's family arrived from New York and found out that the kid was not only missing, but separated from his medication. Nobody had been brave enough to inform Horatio as to what was going on, as he hadn't been seen or heard from since taking his nephew to the hospital.

Although Tim knew little about Bobby LaRusso, he did know that Horatio had fostered the boy from early in his life and LaRusso had suddenly shown up from New York after years of little contact. He wasn't about to go asking Horatio about the whole thing, however, as it was none of his business.

The door suddenly opened and Tim swore he could hear footsteps and heavy breathing behind him.

Trying not to panic, Tim unclipped his holster; thank goodness Wolfe had cleaned his gun for him.

Taking a deep breath, Tim turned only to find that nobody was there; the only thing out of place was a small videorecorder that had been placed on the counter. Frowning, Tim walked over to the other counter.

Perhaps the video camera had a tape that would provide insight to John Sullivan's location.  
****************************************************************************  
The sound of a key being turned in the door didn't faze Emily. who was asleep on the couch.

Footsteps and the closing of the door were just as ineffective, for she remained asleep.

"Emily, are you all right?" Ray asked in a worried tone. "Are you feeling all right today?"

With a groan, Emily sat up and gazed at Ray. "I haven't been sleeping well since I was rescued," she replied in a groggy tone. "Ryan works a lot of nights, so he doesn't know I'm having trouble."

"You need to talk to someone about this," Ray replied as he sat next to her on the couch.

Emily nodded. "I know, I just don't want to appear selfish in asking for help when there are others out there who need help much more than I do," she replied in a soft tone that was all too familiar to Ray.

"You've come so far from your past," Ray said in a gentle tone as he took her hands in his own and caressed them. "Just remember, you are NOT a victim; you are and always will be a survivor."

Emily swallowed hard. "I'm going to cover for you if anyone ever finds out that you faked your death while working as a DEA undercover agent to get more involved in the abuse network," she stated. "The Feds think you faked your death to work for them; they're not stupid and they'll figure out the truth eventually."

"The Feds aren't as smart as you think," Ray replied, smiling as he rose from the couch. "They're currently trying to deal with General Antonio Cruz and the whole thing with Ramon; it's pure chaos."

Frowning, Emily rose from the couch. "What time is it?" she asked in a groggy voice. "I'm supposed to meet Sully's plane when it comes in. It's part of what I promised Sully I'd do for Danielle when she left Miami."

"No worries, Danielle called Natalia and she will take care of them for the first few days," Ray replied in a reassuring tone. "I left a message on Sully's cell-phone; he'll contact you in a few days, I'm certain."

Emily nodded. "Maybe you should go visit your daughter and talk with Rosa Speedle about your sleeping problems," Ray commented. "I gave Sully your cell number so he'd be able to reach you anywhere."

"I know I asked you this last time, but any leads on whether or not James is still alive?" Emily asked, knowing that with each day passing, the odds of James still living were less. "Anything at all?"

Ray shook his head. "I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything," he replied. "Just keep moving forward..."

Understanding that it would only hold her back to do so, Emily nodded and taking the backpack from the floor, she quietly left the apartment so that Ray could leave unnoticed by anyone. Since Bob Keaton had died, Natalia had taken over the managing of the building while Ray remained deep undercover.

Even though everything was running somewhat smoothly for now, it wouldn't always be that way.  
*****************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Memorial

Thunder rumbled and the rain continued to fall outside as Horatio watched from the window, taking great care to be quiet so that he wouldn't wake his overexhausted, anxiety-ridden, injured nephew.

It hadn't taken Dr. Loman long to settle LaRusso down and start him on a course of heavy antibiotics and now, while the doctor was off attending to other patients, Horatio kept a careful watch on his nephew.

His cell-phone was on vibrate, as even the ringing sound could disrupt the healing process that Horatio knew was way overdue for Bobby; the kid had a large heart and wanted to help, but his body was worn out.

No doubt the CSI's probably needed him, Horatio thought, but they were adults and could handle themselves for a little while; he had ordered visitors restricted and any phone calls to the room blocked.

"....no don't," a groggy voice suddenly spoke out from the bed. "Please...don't....STOP!"

Frowning, Horatio turned to find LaRusso moving around as if trying to shove someone off of him with the one hand that wasn't tied to his chest. His eyes were closed and his face was sweaty and pale.

"Bobby, wake up," Horatio said in a concerned tone as he pressed the nurse's call button.

Trembling, LaRusso remained asleep. "Amanda....don't....I'll do whatever you want," he stated, his voice rising to an abnormal pitch. "The kids can stay with someone else....please....not the bat."

A nurse entered the room. "NOT THE BAT!" LaRusso screamed, pulling towards the wall. "HELP!"

Before the nurse could do anything, however, LaRusso woke in a massive coughing fit and shot up in bed with a pained look on his face. Without waiting for the nurse, Horatio pulled LaRusso into his arms.

"Shh, Bobby, just take slow breaths," Horatio said in a calm, reassuring tone. "You're safe."

"Uncle...Horatio," LaRusso whispered as he recognized his uncle's calming tone. "...hurts..."

Horatio nodded and gently eased LaRusso back down on to his pillow, concerned that although LaRusso's eyes were now open, they looked slightly glazed over and his face was covered in beads of sweat.

"You stayed," LaRusso whispered as the nurse came forward and gently placed a mask on his face.

The nurse carefully recovered LaRusso with the blanket. "Just sleep," Horatio stated calmly.

LaRusso nodded and allowed his eyes to fall shut. The nurse looked at Horatio questioningly.

"We'll be fine here, thank you for your help," Horatio stated, gazing at his sleeping nephew.

As the nurse nodded and left the room, Horatio suddenly felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Taking great care to be quiet, Horatio pulled it out and opened it, "This is Horatio," he whispered in a determined tone. "......Speed, you and Delko put out a city-wide alert. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Horatio shut the phone and stuffed it back in his pocket; Speed had just told him that a recording of John Sullivan and Marisol Delko being kidnapped by Clavo Cruz had been dropped off at the lab. 

Despite his nephew needing him, Horatio knew that he would have to leave and help deal with this situation. It was one of the things that he hated about his job, it tore him away from what mattered.  
*******************************************************************************  
Devil's Mansion - Miami, Florida

"I can't believe that Bernie KILLED Doctor Savarrio and Ricky," Stewart hissed as he wriggled in the ropes that held him in the chair that Edward had restrained him in. "Eddie, can't you untie me?!"

Keeping his back turned, Edward narrowed his eyes and silently finished strapping the unconscious John to the torture table that had been installed in the basement of Bernie's mansion a while back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Clavo tying the raven haired beauty to a water pipe and whispering to her.

"I thought you wanted to take your brat back to New York?" Stewart hissed, annoyed that instead of being allowed to venture upstairs to the room where the girls were being held and had already suffered at the hands of Bernard and Clavo. "Go and GET Bernie; he'll let me out so that I can have some fun..."

Edward sighed and finished securing John to the torture table, "Bernie's not here," he replied, turning towards Stewart. "He put his brat in the room with the girls and took off somewhere on his motorbike."

"What's with him and those bikes he likes to build?" Stewart asked in a confused tone.

"Bernie knows mechanics and after he builds the bikes, he likes to test them before he sells them off to the various gangs around the country," Edward replied grouchily. "He's a complicated person..."

"Pfft, if Ramon were here, he'd help me," Stewart whined.

Before Edward could reply, there was a groggy moan from the table and Edward turned to see that John was slowly waking up. "Hey, you little BRAT," Edward hissed. "This time, YOU are going to die slowly."

"Forget you," John hissed as he realized who was standing over him. "You're a---"

Gritting his teeth, Edward reached down and brought up a bucket of what Stewart saw to be ice water for John to see. "You had better watch your mouth, kid," Edward hissed. "Clavo, get me a gag..."

Ignoring Marisol's weak protests, Clavo strolled away from her and over to the torture table. He pulled a gag from his pocket and roughly jammed it into John's mouth, ignoring the pained look on his face. Clavo then placed a dirty rag over John's eyes so that he couldn't see anything and feel as if he were drowning.

Grinning maliciously, Edward pulled a pair of scissors out of his pocket and quickly cut John's shirt off of him, revealing a pale torso that had several old scars all over it. He lifted the bucket above John's head.

"You'll wish that you'd never been born," Edward hissed maliciously as he prepared to tip the bucket.

As the ice water fell from the bucket and down John's face and body, the only sound that could be heard was cruel laughter, which drowned out the muffled whimpers and quiet gasps from John and Marisol.  
********************************************************************************  
Downtown Miami

Anxiously massaging her chest, Emily slowly moved out of the walk-in clinic and gazed up at the cloudy sky, relieved that the rain had stopped so that she could go for a nice long walk.

Although she had fully intended to take Ray's advice and go spend time with her daughter, Emily had been anxious about something she had first detected back in the hospital while recovering from her abduction..

It was very fortunate that Emily was able to find a clinic that took walk-ins and after a breast examination, the doctor on call had contacted Dr. Loman at Dade-Memorial and scheduled a mammogram within the next few days that, based on the exam, could most likely lead to a biopsy within the month.

Now, as she travelled down the sidewalk, Emily prayed that she would have time to tie up loose ends.

Emily's mind was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the motorcycle pulling up to the curb alongside her, nor did she notice the man that was seated on the motorcycle.

"Well, Emily, where's your big brother?" Bernard hissed as he hopped off the motocycle, advanced on her, and wrapped his arms around her. "I thought you would either be with him or that Caine freak..."

Emily cringed and tried to push him away, but Bernard held her close. "You were always a fiesty one," he crooned as he kissed her face and neck. "I know that Ray helped you escape, but he's not here now."

Bernard pulled her off the sidewalk and into a clump of trees, ignoring the fact that loose branches scraped Emily's thin arms. He pinned her against one of the trees and clawed at her shirt, tearing it.

"Bernard, please..." Emily whispered, her voice trembling. "Please, let me go."

Bernard grinned evilly. "Emily, my sweet, I'll NEVER let you go," he hissed as he reached into his pocket with one hand and pulled out a gun. "What do you think of my new accessory?"

Emily didn't say anything, so Bernard brought the gun up to her face. "I assume you remember that I do know how to use one of these," he stated. "I could have killed you a long time ago when I killed Jenna."

"Don't you ever talk about that again," Emily hissed, shoving him away. "You are a heartless monster."

Bernard guffawed. "Let that be a lesson to you that I won't always be so easy to deal with," he hissed as he put the gun away. "You won't die; at least not today."

Emily remained silent. "You know, there are so many young people missing that it would probably kill you to lose another one like you did Jenna," Bernard hissed, hitting her hard in the face. "If I had the time, I would redo the work I did on you back in California and New York, but I have things to do..."

Even though she was in pain, Emily remained silent and didn't so much as flinch when Bernard punched her hard in the chest and walked away silently. She watched as he got back on his bike and roared away.

Swearing under her breath, Emily gently pulled herself away from the branches and placed a hand over where Bernard had torn her shirt, scratched her, and hit her. She could feel blood dripping from her nose.

Ryan was working at the airport and she didn't want to go to the hospital, but she needed help...badly.

A thought suddenly came to her; perhaps she could go visit her old locker at the Miami PD, get some of her old clothes, first-aid supplies, and clean herself up before anyone found out that she had been assaulted.

With a weary sigh, Emily pulled herself out of the trees and quietly began across the grass towards the PD.  
********************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade International Airport

While her father, Carlos, and Bosco waited at the baggage claim area, Danielle led David to where Natalia was lingering near a rental car kiosk. Natalia smiled at seeing both of them.

"Why does the cop lady have to be here?" David whined, annoyed that the police had to be watching them from all sides because of John's stupidity. "We can just take a cab..."

Danielle gave David a look. "David, you may not remember, but Natalia helped us leave Miami last year when John had problems," she whispered in a gentle tone. "She'll help us now, too."

"John's always getting into trouble!" David hissed angrily. "I hate John so much!"

Danielle exchanged a look with Natalia. "David, honey, I think you're just tired and you need a rest, just like we all do," Danielle said, trying to keep her voice low. "Just settle down, okay?"

"It's John's fault that I can't be at school with my friends," David whined. "Mrs. Davis…"

Danielle sighed, "Mrs. Davis is aware of what is going on and she's going to send you homework so that you don't fall behind," she explained in a strained tone. "Natalia, I'm so sorry…"

"David, you have GOT to stop being moody towards your mother," an irritated tone said as Sully suddenly came up beside them with a suitcase in his hand. "You've been like that since John ran away and your poor mother is stressed enough with Ellie missing."

David rolled his eyes and mumbled an apology. "Bosco's still at the luggage belt; he insists on getting your suitcase, David's backpack, and his ratty old duffel bag himself," Sully explained, giving Natalia a smile. "You must be Danielle's friend that she texted as we were landing."

Natalia nodded and returned the smile, "I'm Natalia Boa Vista and you must be Danielle's father," she replied. "Danielle described you well; you are as handsome as she said."

Sully grinned, but before he could comment, Bosco strolled over with a duffel bag across his chest, a suitcase in his left hand and a backpack in his right hand. He gave Natalia a curious look.

"Natalia, this is my boyfriend," Danielle said as she smiled at Bosco. "He's an NYPD beat cop."

Bosco gave Danielle a look. "Nieto took off with some airport security officer and said not to wait for him, he'd be a while," he said in a scoffish tone. "He said that he's gonna find Kylie by himself."

"Who's Kylie?" Natalia asked, giving Bosco a curious look.

"Kylie is the daughter of a FDNY paramedic named Carlos Nieto who was abducted from New York around the same time as Ellie," Danielle explained. "Ellie is why John came to Miami."

At the mention of John, Natalia frowned. "Danielle, I know Emily Wolfe told you that John was at Miami-Dade Memorial, but that's since changed," she explained, watching as Danielle, Sully, and Bosco's facial expressions changed rapidly. "He since ran away from the hospital and according to Officer Delko, he left a backpack full of diabetic medication behind as well as a blue hoodie."

Danielle looked infuriated, "Any word on if Emily Yokas is missing too?" she snapped.

"Emily Yokas was picked up by her mother and they headed back towards New York yesterday," Natalia explained in a remorseful tone. "I think what we should do now is go back to the building and get you and your family settled in the apartment. After that, we can deal with the situation."

Danielle looked reluctant. "Natalia, John is diabetic and we need to find him as soon as humanly possible so that he won't die," she said in a worried tone. "Ellie is in the hands of monsters…"

"Look, I know you want John and Ellie to be safe, but the best thing to do right now is to go to the apartment," Natalia stated. "After you're settled, we can go to the MDPD and help with the search."

Sully gazed at David. "Besides, I think David could use a little rest after all that flying," he stated, ignoring the evil look that David was giving him. "Danielle, you look like you also need a rest."

There was a moment of silence and Danielle nodded. "All right," she said in a tired voice. "David, please take your backpack; Officer Boscorelli is NOT your maid..."

David scoffed and snatched his backpack from Bosco. "If everyone has everything, my vehicle is just outside," Natalia chimed in, not wanting a fight to break out. "Shall we?"

Danielle took Bosco's hand in her own, but David pulled his own away and glared at her.

Although she was concerned about David's sudden anger, Danielle remained quiet and walked with her father, Bosco, and David as they dragged their luggage towards the airport exit doors.  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Airport Security Office 

"I don't know where to start looking for Kylie, man," Carlos stated as he paced back and forth before a desk with his hands in the pocket of his jacket. "All I know that she's somewhere in Miami."

The chair swiveled around, revealing Ryan, who was still in his airport security uniform. "You should really go to the MDPD for help on this, Carlos," Ryan replied. "I don't know what I can do for you."

"Look, Ryan, we survived the foster system together and despite all the crap we went through during those years, I think we both turned out pretty well," Carlos stated. "By the way, I heard a rumor that Rick Stetler was in jail for assaulting someone; is that true?"

Ryan sighed. "Stetler was in prison, but he escaped with a child molester and he's in the wind," he said, annoyance in his voice. "Anyway, I might have a brainwave as to where Kylie could be."

Carlos's eyes widened, but he remained quiet. "I remember my sister telling me about this place that is in a remote area of Miami that is almost like a torture chamber," Ryan explained. "Ever since my house was blown up, I've been living with my sister and niece in an apartment and she mentioned it, but I think we can figure out where it is and save all who need to be rescued."

"I promised Holly and Tommy that I wouldn't come back without Kylie," Carlos replied in an anxious voice. "I will do ANYTHING to make sure that Kylie is found alive and well..."

Ryan nodded. "Since I'm now off duty, we can catch up and then start trying to find information," he stated. "Maybe we'll have to go to the MDPD for help, but we will find Kylie...I promise."

Carlos nodded and the two were soon catching up on their lives since their time in foster care; it was a time in their lives that they'd rather forget, but it came in handy during times of trouble.

The common hope was that all problems would be solved and that no lasting effects would remain.

However, what would actually happen would come as a major shock to everyone involved.  
*******************************************************************************************************


	6. Actions and Reactions

Two Hours Later

Narrowing his eyes at his mother and Bosco lying asleep on top the master bed completely clothed and with their hands locked, David scowled and headed back to the other bedroom.

Once Natalia had dropped them at the apartment, she had told them to stay put for the time being and she would personally check at MDPD for any update on John's location. 

David scoffed; it was always stay put...stay put and don't go anywhere...be a good little kid.

When they had lived here before, David thought bitterly, John and him used to share the bedroom that was nothing more than white walls, two skimpy beds, a dresser, and a closet then.

He was bored and the worst part of it was that he couldn't even talk to his grandfather; his grandfather had sequestered himself in the bathroom and was quietly talking on his cell phone.

Anger filled David's heart; John and Ellie were missing and nobody cared about him, the one who had chosen to stay and be the good kid. Everyone was too tired to talk to him at all.

In David's eyes, John was a troublemaking punk who used his diabetes to get enough sympathy that he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it; Ellie was a naive little brat who was stupid enough to trust John and end up kidnapped by someone who wanted to hurt John.

As David sat on his bed, he sighed; they would all be a lot better off without John in their lives.

Without thinking, David opened the top dresser drawer and to his shock, he found a cell-phone there. He picked it up and was rather surprised to see it on and flashing.

Taking great care to be quiet, David opened the cell-phone and, skimming the menu, he found the number of a Lt. Edward Addison, NYPD at the top of the long list of phone numbers.

I wonder what it would be like to live with Dad. David thought as he stared at the cell-phone.

The thought was rather tempting; if his dad had taken John, maybe he should go and offer to be the son that their dad had always wanted. Maybe by then, John would be dead and in the ground.

Ellie was probably already dead and it was all John's fault; he was responsible for her death.

Narrowing his eyes, David quickly dialed the number, keyed out a text message, and pressed Send. He was silent for a moment and his eyes lit up when the word Message Sent appeared.

Hopefully, David thought, his dad would get the message and everything would be better.  
*************************************************************************************************************  
MDPD/Crime Lab Locker Room - Miami, Florida

Swallowing the nausea that threatened to spill from her mouth, Emily silently entered the MDPD locker room and walked over to her locker in the far corner of the room, near the back exit door.

Pulling a key from her pants pocket, she unlocked the door and immediately saw the photos of her, James, and Julliet that had been taken by Ryan shortly after the twins had been born taped to the inside of the door. There was a photo of a younger her and Ryan taped to the door just below that.

Ignoring the pangs of sorrow that filled her heart, Emily pulled out a folded pair of dress pants, a folded dress shirt, and a pair of slip-on shoes from a shelf that Ryan had put into her locker just before she took maternity leave from the PD almost three years before. 

"....I can't believe my own SISTER is missing now too!" Emily heard the angry voice of Officer Delko shout as she heard footsteps approaching. "What on earth would prompt Marisol to be out helping that missing Sullivan kid and end up a hostage of Clavo Cruz with him?....this is insane!"

Emily's eyes widened; Marisol was now missing and in the same location as John Sullivan?

"Will you settle down, Delko?" the irritated voice of Tim Speedle replied. "We'll do what we can to find both John and Marisol. I just have to get my gun cleaning stuff from my locker..."

The footsteps came closer and swearing under her breath, Emily moved into the showers area so that Officer Delko or Speedle wouldn't see her there. She set the clean clothes on a bench and took off her bloodstained shirt, annoyed that her nose was still bleeding profusely.

Tossing her bloodstained shirt on the floor, Emily moved over to a sink and, getting some paper towels from the dispenser, she soaked it in cold water and held it against her nose. Her other injuries didn't look too bad, but they hurt a lot and it was all she could do to keep from crying.

"..Whoa, Speedle, a locker's open and there's a blood trail," Emily heard Officer Delko say in a worried tone. "You check the locker; I'll follow the blood trail..."

Anxiety filled Emily's heart and, dropping the wet paper towel, she hurried into the shower and took great care to be very quiet; maybe Speedle and Delko would go away soon and leave her be.

Suddenly, Emily's cell vibrated in her pocket. Taking great care to be quiet, she pulled it out of her pocket and opened it, only to find that a man named Edward had sent her a text message.

Officer Wolfe,

I found John's cell-phone on him and this number was on it. I've been putting that spawn of mine through a process called waterboarding, which I assume you have heard of. 

There are also three very pretty little girls that have been handled and are now prisoners in the "Little Princess" room of that which is called "Devil's Mansion." They are all alive...for now.

I have a friend named Fred Yokas in New York who has attained custody of a woman named Suzie Keaton and her daughter, Madison. He is holding them in a building that is known in the criminal underworld as LaGranga and they are both still alive. However, that could soon change.

My friend, Bernard Marquez, gave me permission to use you in any way I deem necessary in order to keep him out of sight from the Miami-Dade Police Department. I know your whole history; including the past that you and your spineless brother are trying so desperately to hide.

Anyway, I'll keep your dirty little secrets quiet if you help me...otherwise, I won't keep quiet.

Bernard has taken his own spawn and flown away for the winter or until things settle down.

I am at Devil's Mansion and am preparing to take John, the little girls, and myself to New York City for some reminiscing. I need someone to come along to keep the little girls calm and to make sure that John does as he is told. I can't take Marisol Delko with me, but I can't just forget about her.

Here's the deal; if you agree to come along and serve as a "mother hen", I will release Marisol Delko without any harm done to her. If you don't, everyone dies without a second thought.

If you agree, I'll meet you at Devil's Mansion in 48 hours...bring some changes of clothes.

Sincerely,

Lt. Edward Addison

Swallowing hard, Emily put the phone away and turned to face the shower wall just as Officer Delko's footsteps closed in on her. She couldn't let anyone see her in this condition.

"Emily Wolfe?" Emily heard the concerned voice of Officer Delko ask. "Emily?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Emily turned and faced Eric, who looked horrified.

"Who did this to you?" Eric asked as he came closer to get a better look at her.

Unsure if she could truly trust this man who had helped her before, Emily remained silent.

"Speedle, get over here NOW," Eric stated in a loud voice. "We have a problem."  
*********************************************************************************************************  
Devil's Mansion

"Here's the needle you wanted, Eddie," Clavo hissed maliciously as he handed Edward the drug-filled needle and moved to the head of the table where John lay restrained and gagged.

Grinning maliciously, Clavo ran his fingers up and down the freezer burns that ran down John's arms and the rips on his shirt. "Find anything new about him since last year?"

Edward quickly tied a plastic tie around John's burned forearm. "The stupid little bracelet on his wrist says he has diabetes," Clavo hissed as he watched Edward look for a vein in John's arm.

"Well, that will make the suffering all the more real," Edward cruelly hissed as he injected the needle into John's arm and watched John squirm helplessly. "Remove the gag."

Clavo yanked the gag from John's mouth. "I just gave you a little shot of pure heroin, Johnny boy," Edward hissed as John glared at him. "It's gonna make you fresh for the trip back to NYC."

"Go away," John replied in a slurred, weak voice. "I won't do anything you say."

Edward glared into John's glazed eyes. "You are a worthless creature and you will do what I tell you or the innocent will DIE!" he roared as he slapped John's face. "Clavo….”

Clavo grinned and quickly untied the restraints holding John's legs to the table. 

Gritting his teeth, John kicked Clavo in the abdomen hard, sending him to the floor.

"You little freak, you'll pay for that," Edward hissed as Clavo lay on the floor with a hand on his abdomen, whimpering in pain. "Now you'll REALLY know what pain is and what it can be."

Edward quickly untied John from the table and gave him a powerful shove off the table.

As John crashed to the floor in a useless heap, Edward kicked him repeatedly in the chest, the legs, and his stomach. He then picked up a bat from the floor and whacked John in the stomach.

John winced, but didn't whimper. "Clavo, go and tell Stewart that I have a job for him," Edward hissed as he placed his boot-laden foot on John's shirt. "HURRY UP AND DO IT!"

Clavo nodded and scurried off. "Miss Delko, let me educate you on what happens to little boys who don't listen to the grownups," Edward hissed, gazing at Marisol as John gasped underneath him.

Marisol fought back tears as she watched Edward punch John in the face repeatedly. "Bad little boys must be punished severely," Edward hissed as he continued his violent tirade."

After a few more moments of intensely taking his frustration out on John, Edward stopped and moved away from the bleeding heap that lay on the floor. His cell-phone suddenly vibrated.

Ignoring the faint breathing sounds that were coming from John's mouth, Edward pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket and opened it; he grinned at seeing a text message from his other son.

According to what David was telling him, Edward reasoned that he wasn't the only one who had extremely hard feelings towards John; David was on the verge of wanting John dead and buried.

Gazing down at John, who was shuddering uncontrollably on the floor, Edward gave him one final kick in the ribs and then walked off towards the stairs. He needed to make some preparations.

Tears ran freely down Marisol's face as she watched John lay on the floor, struggling to survive.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Memorial Intensive Care Unit - Miami, Florida

Watching as a nurse moved to Brendan's bedside to check his vitals, Tripp silently left the room and was surprised to see Ty and Grace lingering in the hallway, talking quietly.

"I got everything I needed to from Sergeant Finney," Tripp stated as he walked over to the two with a sigh. "I thought you two were going to go for a walk and get something from the cafeteria?"

Grace sighed. "We did, but I got worried about Brendan and I convinced Ty to come back," she explained in a worried tone. "How much trouble is Brendan in, Detective Tripp?"

"Well, I got in touch with the NYPD while I interviewed him and they're just worried about whether or not he's okay," Tripp explained calmly. "Once he's well up enough to travel home, his chief requested that both Lieutenant Davis and him will need to attend counseling and debriefing meetings...Neither of you will lose your badges, you just have to tell the truth about all this."

Ty nodded. "Anyway, a nurse just kicked me out and said that Sergeant Finney can have visitors later, but for now, he should rest," Tripp stated. "Do you have any place you two are staying?"

"I've been with Brendan since we got to Miami," Grace stated in a nervous tone. "Ty…”

"I came looking for both Brendan and Kylie Nieto," Ty stated softly. "Now that Brendan's okay, I have to find Carlos and see how I can help him find Kylie; I saw Amanda LaRusso take her."

Tripp gave Ty an incredulous look. "You mean to tell me that you witnessed the kidnapping of Kylie Nieto and you didn't see fit to tell me that earlier?" Tripp snapped in an aggravated tone. "Great."

Ty gave Tripp a confused look, "That's just perfect," Tripp scoffed with an annoyed sigh in his tone. "As of two hours ago, John Sullivan and Marisol Delko were added to the list of missing persons along with Ellie Sullivan, Kylie Nieto, and Maggie LaRusso."

There was a solemn silence, so Tripp continued. "The crime lab somehow got access to a tape that shows John and Marisol being kidnapped by Clavo Cruz and forced into a car." he explained. "All of this connects to a recent breakout from a nearby correctional facility; a child molester named Stewart Otis and a former IAB Sergeant named Rick Stetler escaped with inside help."

"Do you think that Stewart could have hurt any of the girls or John?" Grace asked, her tone full of terror that one or more of the girls wouldn't make it out of this mess alive. "How can we find him?"

Suddenly, there were footsteps. "Stewart Otis is hard, but not impossible to find," a cool voice said.

Tripp turned and saw Horatio lingering against the closed door of a patient room, "I already know about John Sullivan and Marisol Delko being kidnapped, Speedle and Delko just informed me about the videotape dropped off at the lab," Horatio stated, gazing at the group. "I also know that John Sullivan's family has come to Miami looking for him and they're not too happy right now."

"Is this where you've been for the past few days, Horatio?" Tripp snapped, annoyance in his voice that everyone had been trying to reach Horatio for two days without success. 

Horatio nodded. "I've been dealing with an important family matter that required my full attention and I couldn't be disturbed," he explained coolly. "My CSI's are working as hard as they can on this."

Before anyone could reply, a nurse came down the hallway pushing an empty wheelchair. "Here's the wheelchair you requested, Lieutenant Caine," she said in a gentle tone. "Is there anything else I can do to help you?"

"No, I think we'll be fine," Horatio calmly replied. "Thank you, though."

Frowning, Tripp moved over to where Horatio was standing. "Horatio, the only personal matter you would have is something to do with your nephew," Tripp stated in a low voice. "Is he okay?"

"You know that missing girl, Maggie LaRusso?" Horatio replied in a low voice. "Bobby was bringing his kids to Miami to get away from his mentally ill ex-wife and Maggie was kidnapped..."

Tripp sighed. "Aw man," he said, remorse in his voice. "Amanda Stetler, right?"

"That is part of the reason why Stetler hates me so much, it's not just because I beat him in a promotion," Horatio stated. "Rick has always been protective of his much younger sister ever since their mother ended up committing suicide in Bellevue Mental Hospital in New York..."

Tripp gestured to the wheelchair. "Is he getting released today?" he asked.

"No, after a long debate, I convinced Bobby to seek counseling and I am going to take him to the appointment and then phone my CSI's for updates," Horatio coolly replied, as he observed Grace and Ty watching them curiously. "Who are those two and why are they watching us?"

Before Tripp could reply, the door opened and Tripp's eyes nearly popped out of his head; LaRusso was deathly pale and was wearing a hospital housecoat and loose sweat pants to cover the parts of his body that the hospital gown left exposed. His left wrist and hand were casted and hung limply by his side as his shaking right hand gripped a metal IV pole that had a bag on it while the other end of the IV was embedded in his left hand. His eyes were tired and had bags under them.

Swallowing hard, LaRusso stepped out into the hall and immediately caught sight of Ty. "Davis, what are you doing in Miami?" he asked, ignoring Ty's look of shock at his battered appearance.

"Brendan Finney got himself in a jam and needed help," Ty explained, silently figuring that LaRusso had finally tried to leave his abusive wife and paid the price for it. "What are you doing in Miami?"

LaRusso let out a tired sigh, causing him to cough. "Don't tell Boscorelli about ANY of this, do you understand me, Davis?" he snapped in a tired voice. "I just want to start over with my kids."

Ty watched silently as Horatio and Tripp helped LaRusso sit in the wheelchair. "Bosco's in Miami with Danielle, Sully, and David; they're looking for John and Ellie, both of whom are missing.”

All of the remaining color drained from LaRusso's face and he put his good hand over his face to hide the tears that fell from his eyes. Horatio placed a reassuring hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"You'll most likely see Ellie again," LaRusso replied in a weak voice. "John, on the other hand..."

Tripp gave LaRusso a stern look. "John's father is Edward Addison and most officers in the NYPD have heard of him and what he did to get a dishonorable discharge and an arrest record," LaRusso replied in a tired voice as he gazed at Tripp. "He's a psychotic sadist and loathes John to death."

Remembering a letter that he had read between CT Finney and Sully about a Lieutenant Addison who was discharged from the NYPD, Ty gaped at LaRusso. "I read a letter in John Sullivan's file a while back that was between Sully and Brendan's father and it was about a Lieutenant Addison."

"Where is John Sullivan's mother?" Horatio asked, wondering if she would be able to provide more information about Lt. Addison that the NYPD wouldn't be able to. "I want to talk to her."

Tripp sighed, but before he could reply, Horatio's cell phone suddenly started vibrating. 

Frowning, Horatio took it out of his pocket and answered it, "Horatio," he said in a monotone voice as he released his nephew's shoulder. ".....Tell Speedle to keep an eye on her and go see if you can find Alexx or any Rescue personnel. When you're done that, contact Detective Salas or Calliegh and see if either of them can talk to her. Try and locate Mr. Wolfe as well; all right, bye."

Slapping the phone shut, Horatio returned it to his pocket and gazed at LaRusso. "Let's get you to your appointment," he said in a gentle voice. "Tripp, deal with these other two please."

As Horatio wheeled LaRusso off down the hallway. Tripp turned back towards Ty and Grace. "For now, I suggest you two stay in the same vicinity as Sergeant Finney," he said in a concerned tone, as he was worried about what phone call Horatio could have received that changed his mood.

Grace nodded. "When can Brendan and I go home?" she asked, knowing that Brendan had clearly had enough of being in Miami and was ready to go home. "All he wants is for us to go home."

"You have my card and when I know something for certain, I'll get back to you," Tripp replied in a gentle voice, as he was sympathetic to Grace's plea. "For now, just be there for your husband."

Ty sighed. "If there's anything I can do to help…” he began in a concerned voice.

"Tell me more about this Lieutenant Addison and the rest of his family," Tripp stated, as any information about John's family could possibly help locate him. "Tell me all that you know."

As Tripp and Ty talked, Grace quietly moved back to the hospital door and silently watched as Brendan slept. All she wanted to do was go home with him and for all of this to be over.  
**********************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Crime Lab - Staff Lounge

Taking a deep breath to relax, Emily silently paced back and forth across the floor, ignoring the fact that she had various Crime Lab staff watching her through the glass window; her battered appearance was no doubt startling in such a clean-cut place as the Miami Dade Crime Lab.

After escorting her upstairs from the locker room, both Delko and Speedle had told her to just stay put and they would be back shortly. No doubt they were calling Horatio and telling him about her encounter with Bernard; they might have even called Ryan and made him aware of the situation.

Pain shot through Emily's body and her hands shook as she took out her cell-phone and re-read the message that Lieutenant Addison had sent her; she had to do something by herself to be of help.

However, with her own daughter and current injuries to think of, Emily knew that she couldn't intervene with any hope of a good outcome for anyone. Everything was so overwhelming right now.

The cell-phone fell to the floor and Emily suddenly felt her knees giving out on her. "Whoa!" an alarmed voice suddenly yelled as a door opened. "Grab her before she hits the floor!"

Suddenly, Emily felt a pair of arms slip gently under her shoulders and she felt herself being guided across the floor. As Emily felt herself being sat down, she saw Speedle hovering at her side.

"Officer Speedle," Emily said in a faint tone as he sat down next to her. "What can I do for you?"

Tim raised an eyebrow. "You could tell me how you wound up looking like you went 12 rounds with a heavyweight boxer in such a short period of time," he replied in a concerned tone. 

Emily sighed. "It has to do with my past," she replied softly. "I was in an abusive marriage."

Tim gazed at Emily's shaking hands. "I saw information about you on the computer," he replied in a quiet voice so not to offend her. "I don't want to sound nosy, but…”

"Yes, Officer Speedle; it's all true," Emily replied softly as she gazed down at her shaking hands.

Tim sighed and gently took Emily's ice cold hands in his own. Emily tensed slightly at his sudden impulsiveness, but said nothing as she felt him gently massaging her frail hands and fingers.

"Delko went to contact Horatio and he's probably also getting medical help for you," Tim commented in a calm tone. "Did you want to file an abuse report with the PD?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm such a hypocrite," she replied in an almost amused tone. "As a Victims Assistance Worker, I assist others in getting help, but I'm too scared to ask for help for myself."

Before Tim could reply, there was shouting and Tim turned around just in time to see Ryan burst into the room dressed in an airport security uniform. His jaw dropped when he saw the condition that Emily was in; he was also flabbergasted that she and Speedle were holding hands.

"Horatio sent me a text message while I was on the road," Ryan replied in a panicked tone as Tim gently released Emily's hands. "Has anyone called for rescue or have you filed an abuse report?"

Emily sighed and stood up. "Ryan, I just want to go to see my daughter," she said in a firm tone as she gave Ryan a look that told him not to talk about Bernard here. "Do you have your car?"

Ryan swallowed hard and a sudden commotion could be heard. "...I already TOLD you, I'm here with Officer Wolfe!" an anxious voice yelled. "I'm looking for Kylie and he's helping me!"

Tim rose just in time to see Eric following after an aggravated man who was looking at Ryan. "Ryan, would you please tell this Officer Delko that I came with you?!" Carlos said, aggravated that Delko thought he was trespassing and wanted to escort him out. "What happened to her?!"

"I had a little run-in with my past and I'm leaving," Emily replied coolly, unimpressed by this young man's apparent lack of class. "It's not particularly fun to be abused and on exhibit for all to see."

Ryan's eyes widened as Emily silently left the room at a quick pace, the look on her face indicating that she was embarrassed about being here and in the presence of so many male officers.

There was a shout and a moment later, Eric came into the room with a shocked look on his face. "I just saw Emily storm past me with tears in her eyes," he said in a concerned voice. "I don't know what happened, but…”

"Look, Eric, there's really nothing you can do for her at the moment," Ryan suddenly spoke up in an anxious tone. "Emily's my sister and I think it would be better if I talked with her from now on."

Without another word, Ryan ran out of the room to catch up with Emily. Noticing a cell-phone on the floor, Tim reached down and used his sleeve to pick the phone up.

"Emily dropped this when she almost collapsed," Tim commented as he suddenly noticed that she had recently received a text message. "Delko, look at this message that's on Emily's phone."

Ignoring Carlos and the CSI staff who were looking into the staff room, Eric walked over to where Tim was holding Emily's phone in his palm. His jaw dropped when he saw the text message.

"Call Horatio NOW," Eric stated in a tone of severe panic. "He needs to be informed."

Tim gave Eric a confused look. "Emily knows something about this whole situation that she's not telling us for whatever reason," Eric explained. "A lot of people could die if she doesn't help us."

Nodding, Tim pulled out his own cell-phone and quickly dialed Horatio's number, silently praying that Horatio would actually answer and want to talk to them. Eric looked at Carlos anxiously.

48 hours was all that stood between a hopeful rescue for many or endless pools of blood spilled.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
LaGranga Apartments - New York City, New York

Slamming the door to the grungy apartment where he was holding Suzie and Madison, Fred Yokas immediately made a beeline for the fridge; he needed a drink very badly.

There was silence and then Amanda walked into the room with a riding crop in her calloused hands, her gray eyes wild as she regarded the one who had freed her from being committed.

"Do you have my ticket?" Amanda asked in a snappish tone. "I want to get going."

Fred narrowed his eyes, "Yes, I bought you a first class ticket to Miami," he replied coolly as he extracted a sheet containing airline information from his pants pocket. "You leave tomorrow."

Amanda grinned manically and grabbing the paper, she skimmed it. "Eddie's sending someone to give me a gun so I can finish off Bobby, right?" she asked, eager to finish the job she had started on her husband so that she could bring their kids back to New York. "He needs to DIE."

"Look, I talked with Eddie on the phone an hour ago and he said that he'll send a van to pick you up," Fred replied, slightly uneasy about this woman's obsessive desire to do away with her spineless cop of a husband. "I'll drive you to the airport myself tomorrow."

Amanda nodded. "By the way that blond wench and her brat are asking for something to eat and to be allowed to contact someone named Horatio" she snapped as she moved into the tiny kitchenette and opened the fridge. "They want to talk to Bobby's loser of an uncle!"

"Well, they're not going to," Fred replied coolly. "Go take them some food and go to bed."

Grabbing a few takeout boxes from the fridge that had sat there for three days, Amanda nodded and marched off to the bedroom where Suzie and Madison were being held. Fred sighed and moving into the kitchen, he closed the fridge door; all this crime business was annoying.

He was so tempted to just go confess to Faith and the rest of the NYPD about his involvement with Edward Addison, but if he did that, any of the Miami hostages could be killed.

For now, Fred reasoned, all he could do was wait and hope that things didn't end in death.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade PD - Miami, Florida

Relieved that Bosco had his arm around her, Danielle shot daggers at Tripp. "If Lieutenant Caine wanted information from me so badly, why doesn't he come talk to me himself?" she snapped, irritated that she had been summoned to the PD from the apartment by a uniformed cop.

"Look, Lieutenant Caine is busy and he needs information so that your eldest son, your daughter, or any of the other hostages at Devil's Mansion don't end up getting killed," Tripp replied in a slightly irritated tone. "I don't know why you had to bring someone with you, by the way."

Danielle sighed. "Detective Tripp, this someone happens to be Officer Maurice Boscorelli of the NYPD," she replied coolly. "He also happens to be my very loving boyfriend of three months."

There was silence and Tripp raised an eyebrow. "What's with all of you NYPD cops coming to Miami with all of your problems?" he asked, slightly irritated. "We already have one of them in the hospital while his partner and wife babysit him and another in the hospital because his psychotic wife beat him up and tried to kidnap their kids; this is not the time you wanna cross me, okay?"

Danielle and Bosco exchanged a confused look. "Uh, we came here with my father and a paramedic named Carlos Nieto to find John, Ellie, and Kylie Nieto," Danielle replied in a soft, yet very concerned tone. "What other NYPD cops are you talking about?"

"Some guy named Brendan Finney was a suspect in the murder of some apartment manager named Bob Keaton, but he's cleared and is recovering from injuries at Miami-Dade Memorial while his wife and his partner, Ty Davis, sit with him." Tripp explained, realizing that these two had no idea what else had happened. "The other one actually mentioned you, Officer Boscorelli."

Bosco gave Tripp a confused look. "I don't know anyone from Miami," he replied suspiciously.

Tripp was silent for a moment. "Does the name Bobby LaRusso ring a bell?" he asked, suspicious that the man wouldn't know anything about his own partner. "He IS your partner, right?"

Bosco was floored. "Yeah, LaRusso is my partner, but he's never told me anything about himself since we became partners in the middle of June," he replied. "How bad off is he?"

Before Tripp could reply, Danielle suddenly released Bosco's hand and stood up. "Maurice, I should probably tell you something now," she said in a trembling voice. "Kim and I brought LaRusso's kids to the hospital and helped him escape New York; I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

Tears welled up in Danielle's eyes and she moved away from the interview table. "The Victims Assistance network is a national one and he asked for my help," she said, ignoring the tears that rolled down her face. "He wanted to bring his kids and come here to live with his uncle."

Frowning, Bosco stood up and gently pulled Danielle into his arms. "Danielle, shhh," he said in a gentle tone as he gently rubbed her back. "It's not your fault that LaRusso got hurt."

"Not only is he hurt, his daughter was kidnapped," Tripp stated. "Her name is Maggie."

Danielle sniffled and moved back to the table, "I'll tell you what I know about Edward because I don't want anyone else getting taken," she replied softly. "My father's back at the apartment with David, so I have time. I've known Edward for a lot of years and he's a very sadistic person."

"Danielle, if you want me to leave…” Bosco started, but was cut off by a look from Danielle.

Letting out a sigh, Danielle returned to her seat. "If you're going to take a chance on loving me, Maurice, you had better hear about my past," she replied softly. "Where should I start?"

"You can start wherever you feel comfortable," Tripp stated, compassion in his voice for what this woman had gone through. "Why don't you start from the beginning; when you first met Edward?"

Bosco took a seat and took Danielle's hand in his own. "I was 13 and I was on my way home from school when I was stopped by this cop named Lieutenant Addison," she said, her voice trembling as she recalled the time before John was even thought of. "He said that I was a pretty little girl."

Both Bosco and Tripp were silent. "Well, since you cops obviously aren't morons, you know that my becoming pregnant with my first child was the result," Danielle replied, not wanting to go into the graphic details of it all. "John Tyrone was born not long after I turned 14 and after a lot of thought and discussion with my father, I decided to keep him and raise him while doing home-school."

"John Tyrone, that's your boy that came to Miami to find your daughter?" Tripp asked, trying very hard to be sensitive to the situation and still get the information he needed.

Danielle nodded. "John was such a vibrant little boy," she said in a gentle tone. "When I turned 18, I was approached by Edward and given what I thought was a heartfelt apology. He asked me to marry him so that we could raise John together and I thought he wanted to change."

Bosco felt his blood pressure rising in anger, but he kept quiet. "I joined the FDNY as a paramedic when I was 19 and Edward and I rotated work schedules so that one of us could always be looking after John," Danielle continued in a gentle tone. "John was so happy all the time..."

"What do you mean when you say that John was happy?" Tripp asked, concerned by Danielle's use of the past tense when referring to John's happiness. "Did something happen that changed him?"

Swallowing hard, Danielle nodded and squeezed Bosco's hand. "When I was 22 and John was eight, I had brought him to the firehouse one day and left him upstairs with books and stuff while I went and talked with my Lieutenant about taking a day off so Edward and I could take John and David to the country for a few days," she explained in a quivering tone. "I'm sorry…”

"Just keep talking," Bosco gently chided her as he gently rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay."

Danielle nodded as tears fell from her eyes. "Doc, my trainer, was waiting for me so that we go drop John off at school on our way out to duty," she spoke in a faint voice. "They got to talking…”

Suddenly, Danielle closed her eyes, trying to recall every little detail of that day.

"Danni, can you come out here for a moment?" Danielle heard Doc suddenly ask, even though she had told him that she was meeting with the Lieutenant. "It's important."

Smiling at the Lieutenant, Danielle rose. "Sorry, Lieu, this should only take a second," she apologized in a pleasant tone. "John probably just wants to show me something he drew."

Lt. Johnson smiled. "It's all right, I'll wait," he replied gently. "Go see your older kid."

Nodding, Danielle moved out of the office and down the hallway; it was really fortunate that her father had the whole day off and could watch David, as Edward was also working.

"Doc, what's up?" Danielle asked as she saw John lying on the couch with his eyes closed while Doc was kneeling beside him looking concerned. "What's the matter?"

Doc was silent for a moment and then John suddenly opened his eyes. "Mommy, can you take us away from Daddy?" he asked in a quiet voice. "I don't wanna go home with Daddy anymore."

Danielle looked at Doc for an explanation. "Danielle, while I was out here talking with John, he told me that Edward had taken him out of school yesterday afternoon," Doc explained, his voice heavy with solemnness. "John said that Edward drove him out to Coney Island and hurt him pretty badly."

There was silence as Danielle remembered that John didn't want good night hugs, a bath, or even much dinner the night before; he went to bed at seven-thirty and didn't say much of anything.

"Doc, are you saying that Edward…?” Danielle asked, slowly putting the pieces together.

Doc nodded and John began to cry softly; by the look on his face, he was in so much pain.

"...Doc and I took John to Mercy in our rig immediately," Danielle explained in a faint voice as tears streamed down her face. "I had Edward served with divorce papers that same day, but the NYPD IAB refused to go after him; they said Edward wouldn't do a thing like that to a kid."

Bosco put a protective arm around Danielle. "Talking about this may be very emotionally difficult for me, Detective," Danielle stated as she noted the look of concern on Tripp's face, a sure sign that he thought they should stop talking. "However, John and Ellie are missing and time is not a friend."

Tripp nodded and as Danielle continued talking, he hoped that times of death would be prevented.  
**************************************************************************************************************  
Meanwhile, back at the apartment building, a blood red sports car pulled up to the curb and the engine purred to a halt. The door opened and a blonde-haired man clad in dressed entirely in black and sporting sunglasses, gloves, and oversized trenchcoat climbed out of the car. 

Slamming the door, the man made his way up the walk and entered the apartment building as quietly as a cat walking across a rug. He looked around the quiet lobby and at the stairwell.

David was right, Edward thought, this is a nice place and perfect for hiding abuse victims.

Taking a deep breath, Edward began to slowly make his way up the stairs; his intended destination was the third floor and hopefully, Danielle was home and was going to listen to his demands.

Little did Edward know, however, that Natalia had been in Bob Keaton's office, sorting through the property files that now belonged to both her and Ray and had seen Edward enter the building.

Taking great care to be quiet, Natalia had secured the paperwork in the filing cabinet and had drawn the gun she always kept on her when on the property to deal with trespassing abusive spouses.

She carefully opened the door and watched as the man continued up the stairs; as a Victims Assistance worker and cop, Natalia was well trained to deal with dangerous situations.

Hopefully, Natalia, thought, she could intervene before any of the tenants got hurt or killed.  
**********************************************************************************************************  
In the apartment that they had been provided with during their visit to Miami, Sully watched from the kitchen as David emerged from one of the bedrooms with looking as if he had just been sick.

"Grandpa Sully, I did something really bad," David whispered in a trembling voice as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone that he had found in the bedroom. "I found this in the drawer of John and mine's bedroom; I-I found my dad's number in it and---"

Sully's heart sank as he took the phone and read the text message that David had sent to Edward; it was full of mean stuff a jealous little kid might say about his big brother and also contained directions there.

"I didn't mean it, Grandpa Sully," David whimpered as tears rolled down his pale face. "I was jealous because John was getting a lot of attention and time off from school...I love John."

Sully sighed and placing the cell-phone on the counter, he walked over to where David was standing and pulled him into a hug, "Oh, David, shh," he said gently rubbing his youngest grandson's back. "I know you love John and I know that you were upset at the time."

"I had a nap after I used the phone and I woke up feeling bad," David whimpered as he pulled away. "I got sick on the floor and I feel really bad and shaky."

Letting out a sigh, Sully led David over to the couch and sat him down. "Just lie down on the couch and I'll get the thermometer," he said, gently lifting his youngest grandson's legs on to the couch and moving off towards a closet that he knew was stocked with first aid supplies.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and letting out a sigh, Sully moved over to the door and looked through the peephole; he froze upon seeing Edward standing in the hallway.

Taking great care not to make any noise, Sully grabbed a bag containing everyone's identification, passports, and all the cash they had and then, grabbing David's hand, he pulled him off the couch.

"What-?" David asked in a low voice, shocked when Sully covered his mouth.

There was silence as Sully dragged David through the apartment and to a door that Danielle had told him was a back fire exit; he gave David a look that indicated to be very quiet and trust him.

Realizing that his little texting adventure had resulted in trouble, David nodded and watched as Sully opened a small cabinet, revealing a rusty, yet very operational looking gun from a shelf.

Slipping the gun into the pocket of his jeans, Sully quietly opened the fire exit door and, hoisting the bag on his shoulder, he hustled David out of the apartment, pulling the door closed behind him as he left; the door blended in with the rest of the wall so it would be hard for Edward to find them.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
Quietly moving up the stairs, Natalia saw the man lingering at the door of the apartment where Danielle Sullivan and her family were staying; he looked angry as he continued to knock.

Hiding behind a wall column, Natalia watched as the man knocked once more and then moved away from the door, as if he was giving up; it was then that she saw the gun in his pocket.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
As Ryan pulled up alongside the curb in front of the apartment building, Emily let out a sigh of relief and gently stroked Julliet's hair; she was relieved that she and Ryan evaded Speed and Delko.

Carlos was back at the station, floored about the fact that the MDPD didn't believe his story about looking for Kylie; they wanted to talk to him more.

After escaping the MDPD property in Ryan's vehicle, they had travelled to the Speedle home, pled with Rosa not to say anything, and had taken Julliet with them after Rosa tended to Emily's injuries.

On the way back to the apartment, Emily had confided in Ryan about her upcoming biopsy and although Ryan had been concerned, he had promised to support her through the whole thing.

"Ryan, something's not right," Emily stated as she unbuckled her seat belt and released Julliet from the car seat that Ryan had recently installed in the back of the vehicle. "Something's wrong."

As Emily brought Julliet out of the vehicle, she noticed the blood red sports car parked behind Ryan's vehicle. "Ryan, get your gun out," she whispered, uneasiness filling her heart.

Spotting the car, Ryan nodded and pulled his gun off his belt, but before he could reply, he saw a man come out from behind some bushes carrying a bag and leading a young boy by the hand.

"Hey, stop!" Ryan yelled, pointing the gun in Sully's direction. "Miami-Dade Police!"

Frightened, David whimpered and clung to Sully, who raised his hands. "Ryan, it's okay, they're living here right now," Emily said as she gently placed a hand over Ryan's gun and lowered it.

"I'm John Sullivan and this is my youngest grandson, David," Sully stated as Ryan lowered his gun.

Emily nodded and then frowned. "Who's in the building that shouldn't be?" she asked, holding Julliet closer. "Sully, I know that Danielle told you about the back door, but why did you use it?"

"David accidentally got in touch with his father with a cell phone that Edward had somehow left in the apartment," Sully explained. "Edward's inside the building right now looking for us."

A shot suddenly rang out, causing Emily to quickly return Julliet to her car seat. "Sully, put your grandson in the car," she ordered, her voice full of anxiety. "Ryan, get in the car and go."

Before Ryan could reply, Edward burst out the front of the building with Natalia in his grip as he held a gun to her head. "Anyone tries to stop me, I shoot her," Edward hissed, grinning as he suddenly spotted Emily. "Well, Officer Wolfe, I wasn't expecting to see you for 48 hours."

Sully and Ryan looked at Emily, who said nothing. "I'll tell you what, Officer Wolfe, I'll release this one and Marisol Delko if you come with me NOW," Edward hissed, irritated that Bernie had disappeared and left him in charge of the mess. "Do we have a deal?"

Emily was silent for a long time and then casting a glance at Julliet in her seat, she nodded. "I'll come with you if you release Natalia and Marisol," she replied, ignoring the shocked looks she was getting from Natalia, Sully, and Ryan. "Have Clavo release her right now."

Grinning maliciously, Edward released Natalia and shoving Ryan aside, he pressed himself against Emily. "Bernie will love to have you delivered to him," he whispered. "You're so fresh."

There was silence as Edward dug his clawed nails into Emily's arm and dragged her off down the sidewalk, pointedly ignoring his blood red car. Emily whimpered, but didn't try to pull away.

"Any of you come after us and everyone at Devil's Mansion will die," Edward hissed as he shoved Emily into a grove of trees that surrounded a green space near the building. 

Ryan didn't hesitate; he raised his gun and as he crept towards the grove of trees, a shot suddenly rang out, causing birds to scatter. Swearing, Ryan ran to the grove, only to find that it was empty and only a pool of blood was there; it was just in front of the entrance to an alley.

Realizing that it would take more power that he had to get Emily and all of the hostages out of the danger they were in, Ryan quickly walked back to the car and looked at Natalia.

"I don't know where they went," Ryan confessed, sorrow in his voice. "I have to find Emily, but it's more than I can handle alone and if I get hurt or killed, there's nobody to look after my niece."

Natalia nodded. "Officer Wolfe, I suggest that you take your niece and find a safe place to stay at for the time being," she suggested. "Mr. Sullivan, take your grandson and…”

Suddenly, David unrolled the window and threw up all over the street. "Grandpa Sully, I don't feel good," he whimpered, his body trembling because of what he had just seen his dad do.

"I think I'd better run David to the emergency room," Sully stated, frowning at how pale and sick David was looking. "I think seeing what Edward did made him feel worse."

Ryan sighed. "I'll give you guys a ride there and then I have to phone Horatio," he said, knowing that Horatio would want to hear about what just happened. "Should I get someone from the PD here?"

"No, I'll make sure that everything else is safe and call the PD myself," Natalia replied in a reassuring tone as she smiled at Sully. "Go look after these two and your niece, Officer Wolfe."

Ryan nodded and moved around to the driver's side door. He wanted to ask more questions, but with two residents of the building within hearing distance, Ryan knew that it would be better to wait and speak about such things later; he wasn't well versed in current MDPD-VA regulations.

As Ryan and Sully got into the car and Ryan ensured that both Julliet and David were secured in the backseat of the car, Natalia turned and moved back into the building to see if it was safe.

It was fortunate that the building was mostly empty during the day, as people had lives; it would give Natalia time to secure the building, call the MDPD, and enact a plan of emergency relocation.

Time was running out for everyone involved; things had to be set in motion quickly.  
******************************************************************************************************************  
Cackling madly, Stewart pulled his van over to the side of the road next to the secret cabin that he had hidden in the bowels of the Everglades. Beside him, Marisol gasped, but said nothing.

Ignoring Marisol's fear, Stewart got out of the van and moved to the back; he thrust open the side door and the battered faces of Maggie, Ellie, and Kylie peered out at him. "Go inside the cabin and you can watch the TV that's in the front room," he said in a mocking tone. "Hurry up and get out."

Not daring to say a word, the three girls got out and hurried into the unlocked cabin. "You too, Miss Delko, into the cabin," Stewart ordered callously, not caring if Eddie was going to kill him for disobeying orders to bring the children to New York. "Hurry up or else you'll have to come."

"Does Clavo know what you're doing?" Marisol asked as she got out of the vehicle. "I thought you were supposed to take us all to New York. Are you going to kill us here instead?"

Stewart slammed the side door, "Listen, sweetie, all I wanted to do was play with the little girls, but Clavo and Eddie wouldn't let me even do that," he snapped, glaring at Marisol. "Bernie ran off to some place in Brazil with his little brat to connect with some gang and Clavo ran back to his safety net to deal with some other issue. I am alone, completely alone and I hate dealing with this!"

Marisol was silent and suddenly Stewart's phone began to vibrate. He ripped it from his pocket.

There was silence for several moments as Stewart listened to Fred's voice, "..ALL RIGHT, I'll get the LaRusso brat back in the van and bring her to New York along with that Sullivan nightmare," he snapped, his tone dark. "No....I don't KNOW where Eddie is.....Anyway, good bye...."

Gritting his teeth, Stewart threw his phone on the ground and marched into the cabin. A moment later, he came out carrying a frightened looking Maggie and without a word, he opened the side door of the van; she was promptly deposited in the van and the door was immediately slammed.

"Stay here with the other two brats," Stewart hissed, fury in his voice as he got back behind the wheel of the van and revved the engine. "If Bernie comes back, tell him he's a screwball."

Ignoring the muffled whimpers of John, who was tied up tightly in the back, blindfolded, deprived of hearing through headphones over his ears, handcuffed, and gagged, Stewart away from the cabin; he didn't care how fast the vehicle went, just as long as he didn't have to change any other plans.

As soon as the vehicle was out of sight, Marisol reached down and picked up the cell-phone; she stared at it for a moment and then began to dial a number that she hoped would provide rescue.

Listening to the dial tone, Marisol moved into the cabin to keep the other two girls alive; it was terrifying that she had to deal with this on top of the cancer, but she HAD to be brave now.

Marisol only hoped that rescue would be able to help find everyone in time and still alive.


	7. Paths to Chaos

Three Hours Later

The Everglades  
Sirens filled the air as Marisol held Ellie and Kylie close to her on the ratty couch that was in the dilapidated cabin that Stewart had left them in; the TV was now off and everyone was scared.

Even though they had the power to leave, Marisol knew that it was better to stay put in the cabin than to take two young girls into an endless environment that it was easy to get lost in.

Not only that, but Marisol was well aware that the chemotherapy had taken its toll on her and that she was better off to stay put and conserve her energy; she was charged with the safety of others.

Taking a deep breath, Marisol held both girls close and frowned as the sirens suddenly stopped.

Doors slammed and footsteps could be heard walking across the gravel road outside, which caused both Kylie and Ellie to whimper. Marisol sighed and gently stroked their hair.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open and as officers filed into the room, Marisol saw Eric and Carlos come into the room; the two men froze at seeing Marisol and the two girls alive.

"DADDY!" Kylie suddenly screamed as she scrambled off the couch and into Carlos's arms, whimpering and crying in relief that her dad had come to save her from this bad situation.

As Carlos held Kylie close, Eric moved over to where Marisol was holding Ellie. "Mari, are you and Ellie okay?" he asked, concern in his voice about if Stewart had hurt either female.

Marisol nodded. "I'm fine, but I think Ellie's hurt," she replied in a trembling voice. "That child molester dropped us off here and took John Sullivan and Maggie LaRusso with him…”

"We'll get on that right away," Eric promised. "For now, let's take care of you and Ellie."

Marisol nodded and swallowed hard; everything was going very wrong very, very fast.  
***********************************************************************************************************  
Intensive Care Unit - Miami-Dade Memorial - Miami, Florida

Finally beginning to feel as if he were safe, LaRusso managed to pull himself into an upright position on the hospital bed and used his good hand to turn the pages of the MDPD application that his uncle had given him after the counseling session; it was a tempting offer to start over.

Sully had been by a few moments earlier and had wished him well, as he was very aware of the situation that LaRusso was in and wanted the NYPD cop to get some help if he could.

There was nothing left for him in New York and it wouldn't take much for him to request a transfer to Miami and he could do patrol for the MDPD. He had talked with Mrs. Speedle after coming back to his room from counseling and both BJ and Adam were all right, but very worried about Maggie.

I hope my little Maggie isn't dead. LaRusso thought as he continued reading the paperwork.

Right after he was back in his room, LaRusso had convinced his uncle to take a break from looking after him and go attend to his work; the CSI's probably needed him and very reluctantly, Horatio had told Dr. Loman to keep an eye on him and left, promising to return to the hospital later that evening.

Now, LaRusso was alone with his thoughts and beginning to consider a future of living in Miami.  
Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table rang, dragging LaRusso from his thoughts and prompting him to drop the papers on his lap and, extending his arm, he grabbed the receiver with his good hand and held it up to his ear. As a nurse entered to check on him, a manic giggle sounded.

"Hello?" LaRusso asked, confused as to why someone would phone him at a hospital.

There was a small whimper. "Daddy?" Maggie's small, scared voice came on to the phone.

"Maggie?" LaRusso asked, his heart suddenly cold with fear. "Maggie, where are you?"

There was a hiss. "Bobby, dearest, so you ran to your uncle in Miami," Amanda's cruel voice spoke through the phone. "It just so happens that my daughter was delivered back to my arms..."

"DADDY!" Maggie screamed, the fear imminent in her voice. "HELP!"

There was a slap. "Now, Bobby, I also happen to know that there's someone else here who everyone in Miami is looking for, but he's not with me," Amanda's cruel voice spoke. “I’m currently with a man named Fred Yokas…”

LaRusso sat up so that his legs were dangling over the side of the bed. "I also have seen Eddie and I guess he killed that Wolfe woman before taking his brat from Stewart Otis and going to New York," Amanda continued in a gleeful tone. "It's all your fault; it's all because you ran away."

There was a loud bang and the phone suddenly went dead. LaRusso stared at the receiver with a look of absolute horror on his face, not even noticing that the nurse was watching him closely.

"I have to go back," LaRusso whispered, his voice full of terror as he stood up and immediately grabbed hold of the bed because his tired legs were shaking uncontrollably. "I have to go back."

Anxiety filled LaRusso's body and he sank to his knees. "I don't feel good," he whispered as tears rolled freely down his face. "I'm such a failure as a husband, as a father, as a cop; oh man."

Concerned about her patient's mental state and about the call, the nurse reached for the phone and quickly dialed the number that Lieutenant Caine had left in case of problems.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Emergency Room

"David? David, honey, it's Mom....can you hear me?"

Feeling a cool hand on his forehead, David opened his eyes and, moving his gaze around, he saw his mother sitting at his bedside, "David, honey, are you okay?" Danielle asked.

"Mom, where am I?" David asked, surprised by how weak he sounded. "I remember sitting in Officer Wolfe's car with his niece and Dad kidnapped some lady..."

Danielle nodded. "From what your grandfather tells me, you passed out in Officer Wolfe's vehicle on the way to the hospital," she gently explained. "I also know what else happened..."

"Mom, I didn't mean to use that cell-phone," David whimpered. "I love John; I really do."

Danielle nodded and gently stroked his hair. "I know, sweetie," she replied. "You were terrified about what happened at the apartment and stressed and it made you sick."

"What about Officer Wolfe's sister?" David asked in a worried voice. "Is she going to be okay?"

Danielle sighed. "I don't know what's been happening, honey," she gently replied. "I've been in here with you ever since Maurice and I got back from the police station. I think Maurice and your Grandpa Sullivan are trying to find out what's going on…"

The door suddenly opened and Sully came into the room. "Bosco and Officer Wolfe went to find Lieutenant Caine to update him on what happened to Officer Wolfe's sister," he stated, relieved to see that David was awake and responsive. "Danni, there's something else you should know..."

Sully swallowed hard. "I heard rumors that John may not even be in Miami anymore," he stated, ignoring the horror-struck look on David's pale face. "I was on my way back from visiting LaRusso in the ICU and I heard some of the nurses talking; something else may have happened."

Danielle was silent for a moment. "If John is back in New York, it makes better sense for us to go home and look for him there." she stated in a firm voice. "I can't take being in Miami anymore."

"I think Lieutenant Caine would prefer us to stay in Miami," Sully replied. "He says that we can have better protection here..."

Danielle scoffed. "I don't give a crap what Lieutenant Caine and the rest of the Miami-Dade Police Department says," she snapped. "I want to…”

Before Danielle could reply, the door burst open and a sobbing Ellie, who was still in her bloodstained clothes, ran into the room and right into Danielle's arms.

Seeing the blood all over Ellie's clothes, David gasped. "Oh, Ellie," he whispered, ignoring the fact that his body was trembling with fear. "I didn't think Dad was able to do all that..."

"Where'd Ellie Sullivan go?" a voice down the hallway suddenly asked. "We need to process her."

A moment later, Eric entered the room and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Ellie was in her mother's arms, but he was concerned about David being on the gurney. 

"I'm Eric Delko, a CSI," Eric explained to Danielle. "I need to process Ellie and the doctor wants to have a look at her too. Kylie's already been looked at and is being looked after by her dad."

David sighed. "Mom, go with Ellie," he whispered. "I'm gonna try to sleep for a while."

Before Danielle could reply, David turned his face away and let out a deep sigh. "Okay, honey, I'll go with your sister and be back to see you later," she replied, worried that David was blaming himself for what happened to Ellie and John. "Your grandpa is going to stay with you, all right?"

David slowly nodded. "Mhm," he sleepily mumbled, not wanting anyone to see his tears.

"C'mon, Ellie, let's go with Officer Delko to get you checked out, okay?" Danielle asked Ellie in a gentle tone as she rose from her chair with her daughter in her arms. "I'll be with you."

Ellie nodded and rested her head on Danielle's shoulder as they left the room with Eric. "David, I know what you're thinking, but all of this is not your fault," Sully stated as he walked over to David's bedside and pulled the blanket up higher so that the gown would be covered. "Talk to me."

"Look, Grandpa Sullivan, I'm really tired," David sleepily replied. "Can I just rest for a while?"

Sully nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, just rest and I'll be here if you wanna talk or need anything, okay?" he replied in a resigned, yet very concerned tone.

The only reply was the sound of soft breathing, telling Sully that David had given into exhaustion and was choosing to sleep as the IV's in his arms and hands helped him to feel better.  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Hospital Lobby

Brendan sighed and tried to relax as he sat in the wheelchair that would hold him until Grace and Ty were able to take him to the cab that was waiting at the curb outside. He was well enough to leave the hospital, but instead of staying in Miami, all he wanted to do was go back to New York.

There would most likely be consequences for his actions and Brendan knew that; he was ready to accept responsibility for what he had done and move on, even if it meant leaving the NYPD.

Grace was at the desk filling out the forms to get him released and for some reason, Ty had gone running off to the emergency room after receiving a call on his cell-phone. Brendan felt his heart hammering in his chest; he was probably going to be judged harshly for what he had done.

Brendan was so deep in thought that he didn't feel the gentle hand on his shoulder. "Brendan?" Grace's soft voice filtered into his ear. "I filled out the papers; are you okay?"

"I'm just very tired," Brendan replied, hoping that she wouldn't press him. "Ready to go home?"

Grace sighed. "When Ty comes back, we'll go," she replied as she gently ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I'm glad you were found innocent in the death of that apartment manager…”

"It's about the only thing I'm innocent of," Brendan whispered. "I associated myself with a dirty cop and a criminal all because they knew my father. I don't know why you stay with me, Grace."

Grace didn't say anything; she just continued stroking Brendan's hair and took no notice of Ty, who had just come from visiting Carlos and Kylie in the ER.

"The MDPD found Ellie and Kylie along with an adult hostage," Ty stated in an anxious voice as he approached the wheelchair. "They're all in the ER being checked out by doctors and the CSI's."

Nodding, Brendan refused to look at Ty. "What about JT Sullivan?" he asked in a tired voice as he felt Grace stroking his hair. "Did someone manage to find him? Is he doing okay now?"

There was nothing but silence, so Brendan turned to see Ty exchanging a concerned look with Grace. "There's a rumor that JT Sullivan isn't in Miami anymore," Ty explained in a solemn voice, as he had heard Ellie talking to Danielle about it while he had been visiting Carlos and Kylie.

"Oh man," Brendan whispered, turning back to stare outside. "Grace, let's get out of here."

Exchanging a concerned look with Ty, Grace nodded and took Brendan's hand in her own as Ty carefully pushed Brendan's wheelchair out of the large hospital lobby.  
*************************************************************************************************************  
Central Park - New York City

As the sun began setting, Holly smiled and gently put an arm around Tommy as they walked over to a bench that was under a tree and just off the path. Smiling, she helped the young man to sit and then released him.

Tommy had been out of the hospital for just a few days, but he was physically doing a lot better than anyone expected and had wanted to go for a short walk. Wanting to keep Tommy’s mind off whether or not Carlos had managed to find Kylie, Holly had agreed and they had taken a taxi to Central Park from the house.

Holly knew that Tommy’s emotional state was still needing tending to, however, as the funeral for his parents and siblings was going to be held as soon as Carlos returned from Miami. He also had to deal with the fact that the court had approved Carlos and Holly to be his legal guardians until he was 18.

“It’s so quiet here,” Tommy commented, his voice a whisper as he gazed around the park.

Holly nodded. “I figured we’d sit here for a bit and then I’ll take you out to dinner,” she replied in a gentle voice, as she wanted to help him feel better emotionally. “Does that sound okay, Tommy?”

Tommy nodded. “It’s good to just have some time to relax,” he replied softly as he quickly buttoned up the oversized jacket he was wearing. “I’m not looking forward to the funeral or going back to school…”

Fighting the urge to cry again, Tommy slouched and crossed his arms. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do if Kylie and JT are dead,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I don’t have a lot of friends to begin with…”

Again, Holly nodded, but before she could reply, her cell-phone began vibrating. 

Frowning, she pulled it from the pocket of her jeans and answered it, “Hello, Holly Nieto speaking,” Holly stated in a gentle voice, her eyes on Tommy as he stared out into the empty green space. “Carlos?”

Tommy suddenly sat upright and looked at Holly expectantly. “……Oh, Carlos,” Holly whispered, tears suddenly pooling in her eyes and down her face. “….I can’t believe it….…okay, bye.”

Holly closed the phone and quickly returned it to her pocket. “That was Carlos,” she explained giving Tommy a smile. “Kylie and Ellie were found and are being treated at a Miami hospital…”

“Man, I bet JT gave those punks some major crap,” Tommy replied in an amused tone right before he noticed the solemn look on Holly’s face. “What’s wrong, Holly? Did I say something wrong?”

Holly shook her head. “Carlos said that JT wasn’t with them,” she replied solemnly. “From what Carlos knows, the Miami police are still looking for JT, his father, and the man who hurt Kylie and Ellie.”

Tommy cringed. “JT told me all about his psycho dad,” he explained in a worried tone. 

“Come on, let’s go get some dinner,” Holly cut in, not wanting Tommy to overwhelm himself emotionally and end up sick. “After that, we can even go see a movie if you’re feeling up to it, okay Tommy?”

Tommy nodded and slowly got to his feet. “Can we maybe rent a movie and go back to your house after we go somewhere for dinner?” he asked in a tired voice as Holly got to her feet. “I’m getting kind of tired.”

Holly smiled and put a protective arm around Tommy. “Yeah, we can,” she replied in a gentle voice.

Letting out a tired sigh, Tommy let Holly lead him on to the path that would take them out of the green space and to the street where a taxi could easily be caught. 

Suddenly, a shot rang out and it was followed by a loud bang and hurried footsteps.

There was silence for a moment and suddenly a scream sounded. Tommy and Holly turned just in time to see an older man dressed in ragged clothes stagger out of the bushes with a bad wound on his chest.

Another shot sounded out and as Holly whipped out her cell-phone, she kept a gentle arm around Tommy to keep him calm; they were both scared, but as the adult, Holly knew she had to show that she was brave.  
**************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade Memorial Emergency Room - Miami, Florida

Letting out a yawn, Ryan held Julliet close as he watched Alexx talk with Carlos and Kylie with her back to the door; it was fortunate that nobody knew his connection to Carlos, as he was very ashamed of his past.

Relieved that at least two children were reunited with their families, Ryan turned away and began carrying his tired niece down the hallway so that he could escape the hospital; he needed some time to relax and process what had happened. He also needed his OCD meds which were back in the apartment.

“Ryan?” a worried voice suddenly asked as Ryan headed down the hall with Julliet.

Ryan turned and saw Marisol standing in the doorway of an exam room looking tired, but otherwise unaffected by her time in captivity. “A doctor checked me out and I’m fine,” she explained, her voice trembling slightly. “They want to restart my chemo next week. I should let Emily know--”

“I don’t know where Emily is,” Ryan replied in a worried voice. “At the apartments, this man ambushed us and took Emily at gunpoint. I think the man was John Sullivan’s biological father.”

Marisol gasped. “John Sullivan, the sick young man I met in the park?” she asked, placing a hand over her mouth. “I saw what Clavo and that monster did to John; they tied me to a water pipe…”

Ryan sighed. “They haven’t found John yet either,” he replied solemnly. “If they did, he’d be here.”

Suddenly, Eric came down the hallway and looked suspicious at the fact that not only was Ryan at the hospital; he was also talking to Marisol like a friend. “Wolfe, what are you doing talking to my sister?” he asked in a stern, suspicious voice. “Mari, did the doctor say you could go home?”

“It’s all right, I’m done,” Ryan hastily replied as he moved off down the hallway with Julliet in his arms.

Before Marisol could tell Eric off for being rude, the door opened and Alexx came out. “Kylie Nieto’s father wanted to talk to Ryan,” she explained, suddenly spotting Ryan walking away. “Ryan?”

Hearing Alexx’s voice, Ryan suddenly froze and turned around, revealing Julliet asleep in his arms. “Kylie Nieto’s father wanted to talk to you,” Alexx explained, seeing the uncomfortable look on Ryan’s face.

“We already talked,” Ryan replied, his voice nervous. “I have to get Julliet home…”

Before Alexx, Eric, or Marisol could say anything, Ryan turned and quickly walked away. Eric frowned and gazed at both Marisol and Alexx for some sort of explanation; however, both women merely shrugged.  
**************************************************************************************  
Cemetery - Miami, Florida

Dusk was upon the quiet cemetery and a whimpering sound could be heard filtering across the otherwise quiet air. There was a slap, silence, and more whimpering; it was followed by a muffled scream.

A hefty-built figure dragged a smaller figure across the grass while the smaller figure tried to break away.

“Better stop struggling, my love, or else you’ll join Jenna six feet under,” Bernard hissed as he dragged a very battered Emily over to a tombstone that hadn’t aged with time. “Now sit down so I can tie you up.”

Emily didn‘t move. “Bernard, why don’t you just leave me alone?” she whimpered, fighting to get free even though she wasn’t a physical threat to her ex-husband. “You’ve already hurt me enough--”

Bernard let out a chuckle as he pushed Emily into the dirt. “My dear, it’s not enough that I simply hurt you and move on, I am going to destroy you piece by piece until there is nothing left,” he replied in a sleek, cruel voice. “Too bad Edward ran off to New York and left you in my care. He would have had fun.”

Emily gripped the tombstone with her fingers and aimed a weak kick at Bernard’s groin. 

Bernard winced, swore, and grabbed Emily’s foot. “Now, now, that wasn’t very nice,” he hissed, yanking off Emily’s shoe and tossing it away. “Think of your freakish brother and your daughter’s safety.”

“Stay away from Ryan,” Emily whispered, her voice full of fury. “Stay away from my daughter.”

Letting out a quiet guffaw, Bernard quickly removed Emily’s other shoe and tossed it. “I wouldn’t dream of wasting my time on trivial Miami affairs,” he hissed. “I have better things to do with my time.”

Releasing Emily’s feet, Bernard pulled some rough rope from his pocket and quickly tied Emily’s wrists together. Ignoring her whimpers of discomfort, he did the same to Emily’s ankles.

“I won’t gag you this time,” Bernard chortled in amusement. “I’ll just let the climate torture you instead.”

As Bernard let out a cruel chuckle and walked away into the night, Emily stopped struggling and took a deep breath to calm herself; she was truly helpless now and all she could do was save her energy.  
************************************************************************************  
Baracan Consulate - Miami, Florida

Chief Burton shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he watched General Cruz take a seat behind the desk and Clavo linger behind it with his arms crossed; he had no idea why this meeting had been called.

“Chief Burton, you are no doubt wondering why I insisted upon you coming to the consulate,” General Cruz stated in a cool tone as Clavo lingered silently. “It is concerning a man named Rick Stetler.”

Chief Burton’s jaw dropped. “Rick Stetler was arrested and charged--” he began in a shocked tone.

“According to my son, Ramon, those charges were brought forth by evidence from the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, were they not?” General Cruz replied in a stern tone. “I have granted Sergeant Stetler conditional immunity from prosecution and am formally requesting that he be reinstated at the police department.”

His eyes wide, Chief Burton gasped. “General Cruz, with all due respect, you CANNOT be serious about wanting me to re-instate Rick Stetler as head of IAB,” he replied in as polite a tone as humanly possible. 

“Associates of both my sons have presented evidence that personnel working within the Miami-Dade Crime Lab have been involved in activity that compromises their professional integrity,” General Cruz coldly stated as he opened his desk drawer and took out a file that Stetler had given him. “It is all listed here.”

Chief Burton looked appalled. “I insist on being allowed to speak with Stetler,” he stated in a firm tone.

“Sergeant Stetler is currently recovering from injuries received because of the actions of the personnel who have compromised professional integrity,” General Cruz stated. “He is under the close care and supervision of the Consulate medical staff. I regret to inform you that he is in no condition to see visitors at this time.”

Swallowing hard, Chief Burton felt numb. “So you see, the CSI’s led by Lieutenant Caine screwed up and for that, a valuable police employee ended up on the street,” Clavo hissed maliciously. “You need to fix it.”

“I am not going to allow this sort of intimidation to run the MDPD,” Chief Burton replied coolly, anger in his voice that this was happening. “Lieutenant Caine’s CSI’s are of the upmost professional integrity.”

Clavo scoffed. “If that’s true, why did Raymond Caine try to murder my brother just before the tsunami hit?” he snapped, his voice rising in anger. “Raymond was doing some DEA work on our property.”

“That’s IMPOSSIBLE,” Chief Burton replied, shock in his voice. “Raymond Caine is dead!”

There were footsteps and Ramon suddenly limped into the room, shocking Clavo. “Raymond Caine is NOT dead and he tried to kill me,” Ramon hissed, his eyes wide. “I want Ray Caine to PAY dearly!”

“Ramon, go rest,” General Cruz ordered as he rose from his chair. “Clavo, go contain your brother.”

Clavo scoffed, but a quick glare from his father prompted him to move around the desk and help Ramon leave the office. Chief Burton sighed as the office door closed; this couldn’t be happening to him.

“Unless you want diplomatic relations between the United States and Baracas to break down, perhaps you should remain open minded to Sergeant Stetler’s reinstatement,” General Cruz stated in a tone that dared the chief to argue with him. “If you want conditions on his return, we can discuss them now.”

Feeling as if this decision was going to be carried out whether or not he agreed, Chief Burton silently nodded and listened as General Cruz began explaining when Stetler would be able to return.  
*************************************************************************************  
Recovery Floor - Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital - Miami, Florida

“….Bobby?”

Even though his eyes felt heavy, LaRusso could feel a cold hand on his face and he could hear the sound of erratic beeping coming from somewhere close, “….Lieutenant Caine, please wait outside,” a voice said.

Instinctively, LaRusso reached his hand out and felt his fingers lock with another’s. “…Doctor Loman, I think he might be trying to wake up,” he suddenly heard his uncle’s calming voice say.

Shuddering, LaRusso opened his eyes just in time to see light flash into them. “Officer LaRusso?” Dr. Loman asked, concerned by the fact that the young man’s eyes seemed slightly glazed over.

LaRusso blinked. “…Amanda called,” he said in a weak voice. “…I have to go back…to the city.”

“Not in your condition, you’re not,” Dr. Loman replied as he turned the penlight off and put in back in the pocket of his lab coat. “You’re going to be put on a cardiac monitor for at least 24 hours.”

Anxious about what would happen if he didn’t go, LaRusso made to sit up, but Horatio quickly placed a hand on his shoulder, “A nurse was in the room when the call came through and she’s talking to detectives about it right now,” Horatio explained in a calm tone. “Just take it easy and look after yourself,”

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, LaRusso nodded and was quiet as Dr. Loman attached electrodes to the chest exposed by the low-cut hospital gown. “You had what can be described as a panic attack, Officer LaRusso,” Dr. Loman stated as he checked the monitor to make sure it was working properly. “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” LaRusso replied, surprised how hard it was to keep his eyes open. “Are my sons doing okay?”

Horatio nodded. “While Doctor Loman was stabilizing you, I made a quick call to Mrs. Speedle and BJ and Adam are doing just fine,” he replied, not commenting on the fact that LaRusso was still holding to his hand as tightly as he could. “I also have no idea how your wife found out that you were in Miami.”

“Amanda mentioned a man named Fred Yokas,” LaRusso stated as Dr. Loman left the room. “I think Fred Yokas knows John Sullivan’s father. I knew Fred’s wife, Faith, from when I did days at the 55th Precinct.”

LaRusso suddenly broke off in a coughing fit. “All right, Bobby, you’ve talked enough for a while,” Horatio firmly stated as a nurse stepped into the room holding an IV bag. “I think this nurse wants to give you another IV, so I want you to just relax and try to sleep. I promise that I’ll help you sort this all out.”

As the nurse approached the bed, LaRusso sighed and allowed his heavy eyelids to fall shut, his hand still firmly locked on to his uncle’s. Horatio sighed and watched as the nurse put the IV in Bobby’s other hand.

Even if it took the rest of his natural life, Horatio thought, he would help his nephew through this crisis.


	8. All Roads Lead Back Home

Two Days Later

NYPD Homicide Department - CSI Lab

"Stewart Otis, a registered sex offender from Miami," Detective Mac Taylor stated as he gazed at the computer screen that contained a picture of Stewart and criminal record. "Did you get a hit on the bloody print we found on his chest, just above the gunshot wound?"

Stella Bonasera nodded and waited as the print hit a match and John's face appeared on the screen with a RESTRICTED tag on it. "The bloody print belongs to a John T. Sullivan of Bed-Stuy, New York," she replied as she turned away from the computer to look at Mac. "Mac, there's a problem."

Mac frowned and peered at the screen. "It says that any further information about John is restricted in the database and clearance can be obtained through the 55th Precinct," Stella explained, reading the limited information on the screen. "It's starting to remind me of a case that I heard of in Vegas years back. Stella, can you get me the number for the Las Vegas Homicide Department?"

"Why would you want to talk to Vegas about a dead man from Miami who ended up in New York?" Stella asked, curious as to Mac's sudden interest in John Sullivan. "This is OUR case, Mac."

Mac scoffed and moved over to the phone. "Never mind, I think I know the number," he replied crossly as he picked up the receiver and dialed a number from memory. "While I'm doing this, take someone and go down to the 55th Precinct. See if you can get some information on this kid."

Stella nodded and hurried from the room as Mac suddenly heard a voice respond on the other end of the line. "I'm looking for Gil Grissom," he spoke into the phone. "I need to talk to him about a case that happened approximately two years ago involving some people from New York..."  
***************************************************************************************************************  
Miami-Dade International Airport - Miami, Florida

"Carlos, you could wait a bit and go home with the Sullivans and their police escort," Ryan stated, keeping hold of Kylie's hand as he watched Carlos place a suitcase on the luggage belt. "From what I hear, they're going back to New York this evening; you could have joined them."

Letting out a sigh of relief as he watched the checked luggage be pulled away on the belt, Carlos turned his attention back to Kylie and Ryan. "You've got enough troubles without worrying about whether or not Kylie and I are safe, Ryan," he stated firmly, taking Kylie's other hand. 

"Cut the crap, Carlos, if it weren't for you staying with my Uncle Ron and I years ago and you bringing me out of my shell, I would have never been able to do anything," Ryan replied, his voice heavy as he remembered that Carlos had been his only friend during those foster care years.

Carlos sighed. "I know what Rick Stetler did to you and your sister was horrible," he stated as he pulled Kylie close to him. "Did you ever talk to someone about all of it like your uncle suggested?"

"No, I was never able to talk to anyone about what happened," Ryan replied, his voice quiet as he struggled to not let memories from the past overwhelm him. "I developed OCD over it, though."

Carlos nodded and keeping an arm around Kylie, he began walking towards the Security area with his other hand holding a tiny bag and the boarding passes; Ryan silently followed after them.

"Take care, Carlos," Ryan said as they approached the Security area. "Be careful."

Again, Carlos nodded. "So, if you're here with Kylie and I, who's looking after your niece?" he asked, not wanting to leave but also knowing that he had to hurry. "Emily's still missing, right?"

"I'm supposed to be working in half an hour, so I left Julliet with a trusted friend of Emily's," Ryan replied as he smoothed down his uniform shirt. "Emily hasn't been found yet; it's awful."

Kylie tugged on Carlos's sleeve. "Daddy, I wanna go home to Holly and Tommy," she whimpered, as she had hated being in Miami and just wanted to go home to Holly and her older brother.

"Okay, Kylie, we're gonna go through Security now," Carlos said in a gentle voice. "See ya, Ryan."

Ryan nodded and silently watched as Carlos led Kylie to the TSA Security area; he knew that Carlos was right about talking to someone about his past, but there wasn't courage on his side.

Letting out a sigh, Ryan turned and began his daily foot sweep of the airport, his mind reeling.  
*******************************************************************************************************************  
Mercado Avenue - Miami, Florida

As the sun rose, a motorcycle containing an invigorated Tim rolled to a stop at the corner beside what appeared to be a cemetery. The traffic light overhead was currently on red, so he was stuck.

It was common knowledge that Emily Wolfe was missing and the entire city was on the search for her, even the rescue personnel who were off-duty; it was if nobody could do without her.

Yes, Tim thought to himself, he had searched along with the other MDPD personnel when he was on-duty, but when he was off-duty, he found himself visiting his parents. Since he knew that Ryan was working nights at the airport, Tim had also found himself helping his parents with Julliet.

Since the first time he had met Emily at the hospital, Tim had begun thinking about the young woman at the strangest of times; it made him zone out and that was a problem at the lab.

Letting out a weary sigh, Tim turned his head to look at the sunrise, intrigued by the fact that the rays were illuminating the tombstones and making them shine like jewels in a jewelry box.

The sound of someone coughing caused Tim to ride on to the sidewalk and on to the dew-clad patch of grass that housed the final resting places for many. He turned the engine off and, focusing all his attention on the coughing noise, he got off the bike and began walking across the grass.

As Tim approached a hill, the coughing became louder and suddenly, the young CSI could see a form that looked like a body laying at the base of the hill; whatever it was, it was still alive.

"Hey, are you all right?" Tim asked as he came up to the body, knelt down, and placed a calming hand on the person's shoulder. "I'm Tim Speedle, I work with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab; do you remember me?"

Hearing nothing but coughing, Tim moved around the body and was shocked to see a soaked Emily laying there, coughing uncontrollably as she struggled to get free from ropes that bound her hands and feet together. Tim knelt down beside her and pulled a walkie talkie from his jeans pocket.

"This is CSI Speedle, I have located Emily Wolfe at Mercado Cemetery about a mile from downtown..." Tim stated into the walkie talkie. "Requesting EMS and police assistance a.s.a.p."

After receiving a reply that assistance would arrive on scene shortly, Tim returned the walkie-talkie to his pocket and pulled out a jackknife; Emily coughed and blinking tiredly, she let out a sigh.

"Please, help me," Emily spoke in a quiet, fearful tone. "I didn't ask for this to happen..."

Tim nodded. "Save your strength," he stated in a calming tone as he removed his jacket and placed it over her legs. "I'm gonna get these ropes off of you and then we'll take it from there, okay?"

"I didn't want to join Jenna," Emily weakly replied as she watched Tim cut away the ropes that bound her ankles together. "Bernard said that if I didn't keep quiet, I would join Jenna..."

With a sigh, Tim did away with the ropes binding Emily's wrists together. "Who's Jenna?" he asked as he gently lifted Emily's arms and moved his jacket up to cover them. "Was she a friend?"

Ignoring the pain that shot through her body, Emily pulled herself into a sitting position and touched the tombstone that Bernard had left her at to die. "Jenna was my daughter," she replied, her tired voice quivering as she gazed at the aged tombstone. "This is where she was buried years ago."

Overwhelmed by how she was feeling physically and emotionally, Emily began to cry softly as her shaking hand slipped off the tombstone; she had no more strength to move, let alone speak.

Hearing sirens from far off, Tim let out another sigh and placing his hands on Emily's shoulders, he gently eased her away from the tombstone and into his strong arms. 

For a moment, he could feel Emily tense up, but she didn't pull away, so he held her close to his chest and remained silent.

For just a moment, Emily found herself able to forget everything bad; for a moment, all was well.  
Agremont Hotel - Miami, Florida

LaRusso sighed and took a seat in one of the padded chairs in the hotel lobby as he watched his uncle pace back and forth in front of the public restrooms at the far end of the lobby.

Although the two had come to provide the Sullivan-Boscorelli group with a police escort back to New York City, they had stopped by the Speedle's to pick up BJ and Adam first; like most young children, BJ and Adam had asked to visit the bathroom immediately after they had gotten to the hotel and Horatio had asked the front desk to inform the Sullivans of their arrival; the front desk had quickly complied.

Wanting to give LaRusso time to process the fact that New York was waiting for him, Horatio had taken the boys to the enclosed bathroom; they had time before their charges came downstairs.

Now, LaRusso sat there alone, trying to ignore the pain that was emanating from his wrist that was in its cast and a clean sling; he was wearing a tieless suit instead of a gown and IV's, but in all honesty, he felt terrible and weak, which his uncle was very well aware of. His chest still hurt, but for the sake of his sons, LaRusso was pretending that he was feeling much better.

Dr. Loman had not been satisfied with his condition, but LaRusso was so desperate to be out of the hospital that he had bribed the nurse into falsifying the vital signs to pave way for an early release.

Pushing thoughts of weakness from his mind, LaRusso slowly stood up and watched as the bathroom door suddenly opened; his uncle silently escorted BJ and Adam over to the chair.

"Are you still tired, Daddy?" Adam asked as he smiled up at LaRusso.

Swallowing hard, LaRusso gently patted Adam's head. "No, I'm wide awake now," he replied in a quiet, yet very calming voice so not to scare his youngest. "Are you or BJ hungry?"

Adam nodded, but before he could reply, the elevator door slid open and Bosco stepped out, intending to sneak some food from the continental breakfast upstairs to Danielle, David, Ellie, and Sully in the suite they were sharing. For a moment, Bosco and LaRusso stared at each other.

"Uncle Horatio, this is Officer Maurice Boscorelli, my partner from the NYPD," LaRusso stated in a tired voice as he gestured to Bosco with his useable hand. "Officer Boscorelli, these are my sons, BJ and Adam, and my uncle, Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab."  
Bosco was silent for a moment and briefly gazed at LaRusso's wrist before gazing up at the fading bruises on his partner's face, "Is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked, his voice full of concern for all the secrets that LaRusso was obviously struggling with and needed to confide in someone about.

"I've got my sons and my uncle…” LaRusso began in an apologetic tone.

Horatio cleared his throat. "Bobby, I can take care of Adam and BJ for a few minutes,” he stated in a calm, yet very no-nonsense tone. “I think you and Officer Boscorelli should have a conversation.”

LaRusso nodded and watched as Horatio led BJ and Adam over towards the restaurant at the far end of the lobby, most likely to get them breakfast; he then looked at Bosco with a wary expression on his face.

“Bosco, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner,” LaRusso whispered, his voice trembling.

Bosco sighed, but before he could reply, Horatio suddenly came back into the lobby with Adam and BJ on either side of him. “Officer Boscorelli, I need you and Bobby to take Adam and BJ upstairs to Danielle Sullivan’s suite. Stay there until I personally come and do not contact anyone or leave the room.”

“What’s going on?” LaRusso asked, concerned by his uncle’s sudden stern tone.

Horatio bit his lip. “It seems that Officer Speedle of my Crime Lab located the missing Emily Wolfe and Miss Wolfe is at a hospital receiving treatment,” he explained. “Officer Speedle is currently staying with her, but she is insisting upon leaving as soon as possible; she wants to go be with her daughter.”

“…and you want to go try and convince her to rest,” LaRusso replied in a tired voice.

Horatio nodded. “Officer Boscorelli, if you would escort my nephew and his sons upstairs, I will be back as soon as I can,” he stated. “Maybe it would be a good idea to get a little more rest, Bobby.”

Knowing that his nephew and the boys were in good hands, Horatio walked off towards the front doors without so much as a backwards glance; his full attention was needed elsewhere at the moment.

Despite Horatio’s desire for nobody else but him to be at the hospital, someone had already headed there; unknown to anyone else in the group, Sully had gotten up early and, having been in the restaurant nursing a cup of coffee long enough to hear Horatio and LaRusso, he was now on his way to ask for help.  
Bellevue Mental Hospital – New York

The air was getting colder, Doc Parker thought, as he stepped into the courtyard and gazed up at the graying sky; soon enough, freezing temperatures and endless snow would descend upon New York.

Although there was a schedule of activities to keep residents of the hospital occupied should they become bored, Doc had little interest in most of the activities and chose to instead be outside.

As long as he didn’t do anything dangerous, the staff was all fine with him spending time on his own and understood his lack of desire for visitors; they told him to ask for help if he needed it, however.

Sometimes, when Doc was alone, he found himself thinking of his old colleagues at the 55 and often wondered what had become of them; he had read in a newspaper that the precinct had been destroyed by gangsters out to take down the NYPD and that all current personnel had been sent elsewhere.

Nearby shots suddenly caught Doc’s attention and he looked down from the sky just in time to see a man, whom he recognized as Edward Addison, come into the courtyard with a gun pointed outward.

“Well, well, Monte Parker,” Edward hissed as he waved the gun. “It’s been a long time.”

Doc swallowed hard, but before he could say anything, a loud alarm began ringing and a moment later, Fred came out of the building covered in blood with a gun in his hand; Doc was stunned.

“John’s delirious and he keeps asking for you,” Edward snapped as he and Fred grabbed Doc and hustled him back into the hospital. “You’re the only one that can make him behave himself.”  
There was silence as the three men went quickly through the building; Doc had to watch as all around him, injured fellow patients and on-duty staff pled for help, but he was powerless to do anything for them.

Upon getting outside, Fred and Edward led Doc down a nearby alleyway to where a large black van was waiting. “Get in the back and keep John quiet,” Edward hissed as he opened a door and revealed a curtain guarding the contents of the van from the world. “We’ll get to our final destination soon enough.”

As Doc approached the door, a pair of thin legs covered by bloodstained jeans suddenly kicked outward, only to be grabbed by Edward. “Now, now, you little diabetic freak,” Edward hissed, digging his nails into one of the legs. “Stop kicking like a wild animal or I’ll kill you and toss your corpse in a landfill.”

“Diabetic?” Doc asked, his tone stern. “Have you taken care of your son at all, Edward?”

Edward waved the gun, “We’ll go by a convenience store and get some grub before we leave the city, as I don’t want him dying quickly,” he snapped, wanting to leave. “Now get in and keep him quiet.”

Not wanting anything bad to happen to John, Doc swallowed hard and got into the van. “There now, Johnny boy, little old Doc is gonna keep you company,” Edward cooed in a malicious tone as he forced John’s legs back inside the van. “ You behave and I MIGHT let you live long enough to see Halloween.”

Fred watched as Edward pulled the door shut. “Hey, Eddie, you’ve had your fun, but maybe we should stop this before we get caught,” Fred said in a resigned tone. “I have a wife and son to think of.”

“I know and if you want them and your pretty daughter to stay alive, you’ll keep helping me,” Edward hissed as he moved around the van to the driver’s door. “Let’s go before anyone sees us.”

Giving Fred a death glare, Edward got behind the wheel and revved the engine as if caressing it; he shot a death glare at Fred, as if daring him to run away from it all and go put himself behind bars.

Suddenly hearing sirens, Fred quickly got into the front seat and was silent as the van roared away from the invaded hospital full of now physically broken people; chaos was in the cold wind.  
Rush Hospital – Miami, Florida

Emily let out a sigh of relief as she heard footsteps walk away from outside the door; Dr. Loman had been suddenly paged and it would be a while before he came back to admit her for observation; he wanted to ensure that she was okay and then would send her for a biopsy while she was still in the hospital.

Unfortunately, escaping from the hospital wasn’t an option, as Officer Speedle had collected and bagged the remnants of her clothes to be processed at the Crime Lab; he had sent them along with a uniformed officer and was hanging out in the waiting room to either question her or take her to her house to rest.

Whether it was out of concern or duty, Officer Speedle had also left a message on Ryan’s cell-phone about her being at the hospital and the officer had also informed his parents about what was going on.

Now, as Emily lay on the gurney with a gown over her body, IV’s in her arms, and a blanket over her waist and legs, she couldn’t help but wonder if the Sullivan situation had been resolved; she knew that she was in no shape to be involved in heavy victims advocacy work at the moment, but still…

“Officer Wolfe,” a terse voice said as Emily suddenly noticed someone lingering in the darkened, but very open hospital bathroom. “I’m Raymond Caine, the one who rescued you. Do you remember me?”

There was silence as Ray came out of the bathroom and approached the bed. “I sent out a fake page to the doctor so that you’d be alone long enough for me to talk to you,” he said in a low voice. “I have to go to New York to rescue some important people and for now, I want you to lie low…stay in the hospital.”

“I plan to stay here for as long as I’m supposed to,” Emily replied in a tired voice.

Ray nodded. “Good,” he replied softly. “Don’t tell anyone I was here, all right? I need to stay hidden.”

“I don’t plan on it since you saved my life,” Emily replied. “I know that your work is important.”

Ray sighed. “Because of all that’s been happening, there will be some very big changes to the entire network in the near future,” he replied in a soft voice. “Everyone will be notified when the time comes.”

Footsteps could suddenly be heard coming down the hallway, so Ray strode over to the window and opened it; he gave Emily a nod and, keeping very quiet, he went out the window and out of sight.

Emily sighed and gazed up at the ceiling; a moment later the door opened and Officer Speedle was standing there with, to Emily’s shock, a concerned looking Horatio.

“Lieutenant Caine,” Emily replied, slowly sitting up as Horatio walked into the room.

Suddenly noticing the open window, Horatio frowned. “The window shouldn’t be open in here,” he commented as he walked over to Emily’s bedside. “Miss Wolfe, why is that window open?”

“I have no idea, Lieutenant,” Emily lied in a tired voice, not wanting to blow Ray’s cover. “I’ve been sleeping ever since Doctor Loman left the room. Maybe a nurse opened it to give me some air..”

Not wanting to anger Emily enough so she kicked him out of the room, Horatio merely raised an eyebrow and walked over to the window. “After being bound and stranded in a cemetery for two days, I would expect that the hospital would do whatever they could to get your body warmed up,” he said coolly.

Emily sighed. “As I said, Lieutenant Caine, I was asleep,” she lied in an unusually tight tone. “I have no idea what might have gone on in here while I was asleep. I’ve been through a lot in the last while…”

Before Horatio, who was suspecting that Emily was hiding something, could reply, Dr. Loman came into room and his face immediately took on an aggravated expression upon seeing Horatio.

“Lieutenant Caine, unless there’s a crime scene to process, you need to leave,” Dr. Loman snapped, annoyance in his voice. “Officer Speedle, you need to return to the waiting room and stay there until authorized visiting hours. Even then, it’s up to Miss Wolfe whether or not she wants visitors.”

Deeply unnerved by how Emily was acting, Horatio nodded. “Rest well, Miss Wolfe,” he said gently. 

There was an awkward silence and then Tim sighed, “Get some rest and I’ll look into bringing you something to eat during visiting hours,” he said in a calming tone. “Don’t worry about anything, okay?”

Emily nodded and was quiet as Tim left the room. “When is the biopsy scheduled for?” she asked, her voice faint as she gazed at Dr. Loman with tired eyes. “I don’t want anyone to know but Ryan.”

“Well, you could be released in 24 hours, but the biopsy won’t be until next week,” Dr. Loman explained in a gentle voice. “That’ll give you time to get what you need to in order and then we’ll proceed from there.”

Again, Emily nodded and giving her a reassuring smile, Dr. Loman silently left the room. 

Heavily tempted to sleep, Emily lay back and her eyes widened as Sully suddenly moved into the hospital room doorway. “I was in the restaurant this morning and overheard Lieutenant Caine tell LaRusso you were found,” Sully stated in a gentle voice as he approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Sully, you know I feel guilty that I couldn’t stop John’s father from taking John back to New York,” Emily said in a solemn tone. “I’m a Victims Assistance worker and I should have been able to do something.”

Sully was silent for a moment, “I know you’re probably still recovering from your ex-husband’s latest attempt at killing you, but there is something you can do to help,” he stated in a quiet voice. “There’s no doubt that John is back in New York, but it’s going to take some special detective work to find him…”

“Make the arrangements with Natalia to get me clearance for New York again and I’ll come with you when I’m released from the hospital and have my daughter taken care of,” Emily replied, swiftly cutting him off. “I don’t know if I’ll still know the underworld of New York as I once did, but I can still be of my help.”

Sully nodded. “I’ll do that and I’ll also let my family know that I’ll be taking a later fight back,” he promised.

“Hurry and leave so that nobody knows you were here,” Emily whispered. “I know how to contact you.”

Giving Emily a grateful look, Sully nodded and left the room; there were complicated plans to be made in a short amount of time and there was no room for error by anyone involved; no room at all.  
Agremont Hotel

“….Well, all right, Dad,” Danielle said into the phone, taking great care to keep her voice low so that she wouldn’t wake the exhausted LaRusso as he slept in the next room. “Let me know, okay?”

There was more muffled talking and a click. Danielle sighed and, hanging up the phone, she turned back to where Bosco was supervising David and BJ as they played a battle game on the in-room N64.

“Maurice, that was my dad,” Danielle stated as she looked over to where Adam and Ellie were playing a copy of Candy Land that they had gotten during their stay in Miami. “He decided to come back on a later flight than us and he won’t tell me why. I’m wondering if I should mention it to Lieutenant Caine?”

Bosco was silent for a moment and then gave Danielle a reassuring look. “Sully probably met some lady while he was downstairs having coffee this morning,” he said in an amused tone. “He probably wants to spend time with her and let her go easy. Your dad doesn’t need the MDPD bothering him…”

“You’re probably right,” Danielle replied in a less-than-assured tone. “I shouldn’t worry so much.”

Giving Danielle a look, Bosco moved over to where she was standing, but before he could reply, Danielle’s cell-phone began vibrating; she frowned and pulling it from her pocket, she answered it.

“Danielle Sullivan,” Danielle said into the phone, her neutral expression quickly changing into one of both shock and intense concern. “….Kim, slow down and tell me what happened…” she said in a worried tone.

For the next several minutes, Bosco watched as Danielle silently paced back and forth while holding the cell-phone to her ear, “…We’re going to be back in New York by tonight,” she said. “…All right….bye.”

Looking deeply disturbed, Danielle pocketed the cell-phone. “Kim says that she got a phone call that Bellevue Hospital was attacked by armed men,” she said, ignoring the look of shock on Bosco’s face. “I don’t know much, but Kim says that according to witnesses, they took Doc at gunpoint.”

Tears welled up in Danielle’s eyes, “Edward most likely did it,” she said in a trembling voice as she moved into the bedroom that she had shared with Ellie for the last two days. “Edward’s always hated Doc...”

“Shhh,” Bosco said as he followed Danielle into the room and gently pulled her close to him. “Danielle…”

Danielle sniffled, “I just want to get back home and find John,” she said, burying her face in his shirt.

Nodding, Bosco silently rubbed Danielle’s back and silently vowed that he would help resolve this mess.


	9. On Faith And Dry Fumes

New York City – the evening of October 19

“John?”

Ignoring the pounding in his head, John opened his eyes and saw the blurry outline of someone hovering over him; he tried to pull away, but found that his hands were bound tightly together.

“It’s Doc,” the person said in a calming tone. “We’re in the back of Edward Addison’s van.”

Pain suddenly shot through John’s body. “Hurts,” he whispered hoarsely. “Can’t see….blurry.”

“Try blinking,” Doc replied in a concerned tone as he struggled to untie John’s hands.

John blinked and everything suddenly came into focus. “Doc,” he whispered. “..don’t feel good..”

Doc nodded. “I can’t untie your wrists, but I’m getting you out of here.” he asked, lifting the curtain to see if Edward and Fred had come out of the apartment building yet. “The coast is clear…get ready.”

Relieved that Edward was stupid enough to leave the van unlocked, Doc quietly slid open the door and got out of the van. He gently grabbed hold of John’s bound hands and gently pulled them forward.

“Sky…looks bad,” John whispered, gazing up at the puke colored sky as Doc pulled him from the van.

It took a lot of effort, but Doc managed to get John to his feet. “I’ve gotta get you to a hospital,” he said as he gently dragged John away from the van. “Try and walk if you can, okay?”

“…Need insulin,” John whispered in an anxious voice as he shakily took a step. “…Hold on to me…”

Doc nodded and put an arm around John’s thin waist. “I’ll lead you along, but you have to use your legs, all right?” he said in a fatherly tone. “I managed to get the rope off your legs only a few minutes ago, so it might be tough for you to walk, but you have to try your best. Your life depends on it.”

John coughed weakly and as a trickle of blood ran down his mouth, the door to the apartment building suddenly burst open and a drunken Fred came out; he froze in shock when he saw Doc and John.  
“RUN!” Doc yelled, releasing John. “DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

As Fred began yelling obscenities and walking unsteadily towards them, John mustered what little strength he had and bolted off down the darkened street without looking back; it was hard work because his legs had little feeling in them, but he had to take the chance Doc had given him. 

“EDDIE!” Fred yelled, his voice a drunken slur. “DOC JUST FREED YOUR BRAT FROM THE VAN!”

As John disappeared into the darkness, Edward and another man came out of the building and a flood of obscenities suddenly filled the air. “GRAB THAT WASHED UP PARAMEDIC!” Edward roared as he hurried over to where the van stood empty. “Doc, you just ruined all the plans I had for Johnny boy.”

Doc spat at Edward. “What does it matter?” he snapped angrily. “You never cared about John!”  
Edward roared and kicked Doc in the stomach, sending the former paramedic to the ground. “No matter, that waste of space will die soon enough,” Edward hissed. “Fred, take Doc inside…”

Nodding, Fred grabbed Doc’s collar and forced him to his feet, “The weather and streets of New York will get that brat,” Edward hissed as he approached Doc and slapped him hard across the face. “Now, my dear Monte, we’ll take care of you. You’ll wish you never tried to get in my way.”  
************************  
Agremont Hotel – Miami, Florida

Ryan entered the hotel restaurant and he immediately saw Emily sitting at a corner table with a high chair next to it; she was feeding Julliet some mushed food while the little one gurgled happily.

Relieved that the restaurant was mostly empty, Ryan smoothed down the shirt of his airport security uniform and walked over to the table. “I’m on my supper break,” he replied as he sat down in the seat facing his sister. “I don’t normally leave the airport during my breaks, but I got your message.”

“Ryan, I think you should go back to the Crime Lab on more than just a moonlighter basis,” Emily replied in a soft, yet very concerned voice. “I’m pretty sure that it’s going to turn out to be cancer and if it is, I want to make sure that you’re taken care of. I have enough to take care of you if you need it, but…”

Ryan sighed. “Delko and Callieigh have it in for me,” he replied. “They think I’m incompetent, but when I’ve been there, Speedle has always managed to keep them off my back; he’s a good friend.”

“I’m going to New York for a few days with Julliet to relax before the biopsy,” Emily stated in a worried tone. “I haven’t been there in a long time and I need some time to put old ghosts to rest.”

Swallowing hard, Ryan nodded. “Be careful,” he replied. “I won’t tell anyone where you’ve gone.”

“Just know that I won’t be alone,” Emily replied softly. “I’ll see you in a week for the biopsy. I’ll need you to make sure things are okay for all of us. Most likely, it’s cancer and I don’t want to be alone.”

Letting out a sigh, Ryan rose from the table. “All we have left is each other,” he replied, not wanting to think about what ifs anymore. “I have to run; let me know how you and Julliet like New York, okay?”

Giving Emily and Julliet a reassuring smile, Ryan walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

There was silence for a moment and then Natalia approached the table, having eavesdropped on the conversation from a nearby booth. “I’m glad Ryan agreed so easily,” she commented as she sat down in the seat that Ryan had previously occupied. “Did you phone Grissom and send him to New York yet?”

“Yes, he’s going to protect the Sullivan family from any outside interference until I can get there,” Emily replied in a quiet tone. “I’m flying out in a few hours with Julliet and my old trainer, Sully.”

Natalia nodded. “I just got a call from the PD,” she stated. “My cover is set; I start tomorrow.”

Emily smiled. “That’s really good to hear, Natalia,” she replied. “At least Ryan won’t be unprotected.”

“You don’t have to go back to New York, you know,” Natalia said, suddenly lowering her voice. “I know what you went through there just because you tried to help someone leave an abusive marriage…”

Emily sighed. “Natalia, I was helped and now I must be a helper,” she replied in a soft voice as she rose from the table and began to clear off the high chair. “Besides, helping others keeps me alive and it sets an example that I want my daughter to follow when she’s older. I only have one child left thanks to Bernard and I want her to live a better life than I did. I hope things go well for you at the Crime Lab.”

Before Natalia could offer a reply, Emily scooped Julliet into her arms and left the restaurant in silence, not caring how rude she might have been; Natalia, however, was too shocked to immediately react.

Letting out a deep sigh, Natalia rose from the table and left the restaurant; she had to get ready for work in the CSI Lab under the cover of a federal grant when she was actually using Emily’s money.

Unknown to anyone else, Erica Sikes had been hidden behind a tall artificial fern with a tape recorder; she had been stalking Emily Wolfe for weeks now and she finally had some dirt on the young VA officer.

After reporting on Emily Wolfe’s miraculous return from ‘captivity’, Erica had run into the Cruz brothers at a club downtown and had been promised money for anything to bring the MDPD down in flames; she figured a story about a Victims Assistance cop soon infiltrating the lab would bring them down quickly.

Of course, Emily had referred to Natalia as the one working there, but Emily Wolfe could be lying…right?  
*******************  
LaRusso House – Bed-Stuy, New York

Horatio silently gazed at the wedding photos of Bobby and Amanda that hung above the blocked-up fireplace in the living room of his nephew’s townhouse; they looked so happy together back then; he noticed that no photos of the children were where any outsiders could see them; very strange.

Like everything else in the house, however, Horatio suspected that his nephew had only been pretending that his marriage and family life were happy; Bobby had always been good at pretending.

With a sigh, Horatio looked away from the photo and moved into the kitchen; the floor and counters were slightly dusty, but other than that, it was immaculate. It made Horatio wonder how many beatings Amanda Stetler administered to Bobby to ensure that she had complete control of their marriage.

If it were up to him, Horatio mused, Bobby would not have married Amanda; she had been mentally unstable for most of her life and both he and Rick had protested the marriage, but hadn’t been able to stop it.

So much like his mother, Bobby had explained that he had fallen in love with Amanda, despite her mental issues and would help her through them; he had been unaware of where that would lead.

A faint coughing sound brought Horatio back to reality and his ears filled with the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs; Bobby must have put BJ and Adam to bed for the night already. 

There was some rustling, a crash, and the phone suddenly began to ring. “….Blasted IAB,” Horatio heard Bobby mutter in a tired, slightly irritated voice. “…..Aah, flipping ribs….they still hurt…”

Everything was silent for a few moments and then LaRusso entered the kitchen with his arms full of a folder and several loose papers; he immediately froze upon seeing Horatio in the kitchen. The pain was obvious in his nephew’s face, Horatio thought, as he watched Bobby place the papers on the table.

“You’re welcome to my bed tonight, Uncle Horatio,” LaRusso said as he began to shuffle through the papers with his good hand, letting his casted hand rest by his side. “I’ll be up most of the night prepping some stuff to meet with IAB tomorrow; they called and left a message and it’s tomorrow at 10 A.M.”

Horatio frowned. “If you don’t rest tonight, you won’t be in shape to do anything tomorrow,” he commented, concerned by how tired his nephew looked. “Did you let Officer Boscorelli know that we’re meeting with the NYPD IAB tomorrow? I’m sure he will want to come and support his partner.”

“Bosco’s got enough to worry about,” LaRusso replied in a soft, yet very reluctant tone as he turned away to avoid his uncle’s concerned gaze. “I’ve got so much to do before tomorrow morning…ugh.”

Horatio sighed and gently placed a hand on LaRusso’s shoulder. “Bobby, I don’t want you to worry about any of this paperwork or about your kids for the rest of the night,” he said in a grave tone. “I want you to take care of yourself so that you have the strength to deal with IAB tomorrow; you need to be strong.”

LaRusso nodded, but made no effort to move, so Horatio gently steered his stubborn nephew out of the kitchen and into a room where a couch, two chairs, and a TV were; Horatio then steered LaRusso over to the couch and gently forced him to sit. Almost immediately, LaRusso began to cough and wince.

“I’ll get some tea with honey made,” Horatio replied firmly. “It’ll help you get rid of that cough.”

Too exhausted to protest, LaRusso slouched and fought to keep his eyes open as his uncle walked silently from the room; it had been a long day and a long flight back to New York; much too long.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Horatio had found a pot in a lower cupboard, filled it with water from the sink, and had put it on the stovetop; he was thinking about his nephew as he waited for it to boil.

Even though he wasn’t in the IAB loop here, Horatio knew that there was something he could do to help.  
***********  
Miami-Dade International Airport – Miami, Florida

Emily sighed as she watched Sully hold their place in line while she bottle-fed Julliet on a nearby couch; it was going to be difficult to return to New York, but she had to do it for the sake of the innocent.

Danielle Sullivan and Bobby LaRusso were counting on her to help find their missing children alive instead of helping them grieve over corpses; it was messy, but all part of her job as a VA officer.

From what she had heard from Ryan, the MDPD had found Kylie Nieto and Marisol Delko mostly unharmed and they were reunited with their families.

Ellie Sullivan was already home with her family, according to Tim Speedle of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, and although she would need counseling for emotional trauma, she would be just fine.

“Miss Wolfe?” a gravelly voice suddenly asked from nearby.

Startled, Emily looked up from her daughter to see Tim Speedle standing beside the couch. “Officer Speedle, is there something I can do for you?” she asked, intense concern in her voice.

“Your brother called me and said that you were taking your daughter to New York for a few days,”  
Tim replied in a calm voice, raising an eyebrow. “Does this have anything to do with John Sullivan?”

Emily sighed. “I know that Lieutenant Caine escorted the Sullivan family back to New York, but he’s going to be very busy helping his nephew. I’m going to be there to help the Sullivan family.”

“I’m assuming that this has something to do with your role in Victims Assistance then?” Tim asked.

Emily nodded and smiled as Julliet finished the bottle. “My old trainer, John Sullivan’s grandfather, is coming with me to help find his grandson,” she explained. “Ryan always worries about me, but I have to do this and I’ll be back in Miami in a few days, hopefully; I also want to spend some time with Julliet.”

Tim sighed. “Well, since I can’t talk you out of it, just be careful,” he said in a concerned voice.

“Always,” Emily replied softly. “Maybe you and I could talk about things after I return.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You mean about me holding you in the cemetery while we waited for paramedics?” he asked. “I was trying to give a beautiful woman some badly needed comfort…”

Emily blushed and rose, holding Julliet to her shoulder. “I should go,” she said softly. “Sully’s waiting at the check-in desk for me. We’ll talk when this is all over, I promise; we’ll take some time to talk.”

Before Tim could reply, Emily carried Julliet back to where Sully was standing; she took her purse, backpack, and the diaper bag from him and ignored the amused expression on his tired face.

“After this, Emily, I think you should take time to be happy,” Sully commented quietly as they stepped up to the check-in desk. “I noticed you talking to that young man over there and maybe…”

Biting her lip, Emily turned her attention to Julliet, hoping Sully would take the hint and leave it alone.

Sully sighed. “You’re not worthless to everyone,” he commented. “You need to stop thinking that.”

Emily responded by remaining silent and occupied with Julliet; Sully sighed and approached the counter to purchase the tickets that they would need to take a flight to New York; it was all in a day’s work.  
****************  
Sully’s Apartment – New York, New York

Lights flashed on, revealing a large, very neat apartment that had been unoccupied for several days.  
Danielle sighed and felt David and Ellie squeeze both of her hands; they were so happy to be home.

A moment later, Bosco came into the apartment carrying the bags. “It’s good to be out of Miami,” he commented as he set the bags on the floor and closed the door. “It was nice of Sully to let us stay here for a while until things are figured out…”

Danielle sighed and silently releasing David and Ellie’s hands, she moved over to the window. “I’m happy that David and Ellie are safe and sound,” she whispered, gazing out at the puke-colored sky. “I just hope John can be found soon He’s diabetic and it’s dangerous for him to be without his insulin and food…”

“Mommy, can I go to bed?” Ellie asked, gently tugging at Danielle’s sleeve. “I’m tired from the plane.”

Danielle smiled and nodded. “Okay, sweetie, just go and sleep in the bed in the next room,” she said in the gentlest voice possible as she gazed at David and Ellie. “David, can you sleep on the hideabed?”

David nodded. “What about when John comes back, though?” he asked. “John’ll want it back.”

“David, we’re only staying here a night or two,” Danielle replied softly. “Just go to bed now, okay?”

Again, David nodded and sat down on the hideabed. “I’ll tuck your sister in and then come say good night to you, okay honey?” Danielle said gently as she gazed at her youngest son.

Bosco handed Danielle a bag that contained Ellie’s clothes. “Her nightgown’s in there,” he said in a gentle tone. “I’ll stay out here with David if you want a moment with Ellie.”

Mouthing a ‘thank you’ to Bosco, Danielle led Ellie into the bedroom with the bag clutched in her hand; Bosco turned to look at David, only to find that David had taken his shoes and socks off.

“I can get my pajamas on myself,” David said in a tired tone. “Can you not watch me while I change?”

Silently thinking how much David was beginning to act like John, Bosco nodded and moving into the kitchen, he turned his back so that David could have some privacy to put his pajamas on.

There were a few moments of silence and suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “Oh man, I didn’t do it!” David whined as Bosco turned and walked towards the door. “I just wanna go to bed!”

“Just lie down and relax,” Bosco said as he opened the door and saw a man with a beard and glasses, dressed in a blazer, jeans, and a nice shirt standing there. “Excuse me, but who are you?”

Gil smiled and offered his hand. “Gil Grissom,” he said pleasantly. “I’m from the Las Vegas Crime Lab and I’m wondering if I could talk to Danielle Sullivan about her eldest son, John, for a moment?”

“John was kidnapped in Miami,” Bosco replied cooly, not wanting to let Gil in. “Danielle’s busy.”

Gil looked past Bosco and saw David resting on what looked like a hide-a-bed, looking ready to fall asleep, but also afraid of who was at the door. “Hi there, David, is your mother in?” Gil asked kindly.

David remained silent and gazed up at the ceiling. “Look, I don’t know who you are and David seems scared of you, so I’m not letting you in,” Bosco snapped. “I think you’d better leave right now.”

“Maurice, hold on,” Danielle suddenly said as she came out of the bedroom. “I know him.

Bosco turned and gaped at Danielle as she came over to the hideabed. “David needs to get some rest, so we’re going to take this discussion into the kitchen,” she said in a firm tone as she looked at both men.

Nodding, Bosco silently stepped aside to let Gil in and as Gil entered, Danielle leaned over and gently kissed David on the forehead. “Try and sleep if you can, okay baby?” she told David gently.

David nodded, but silently watched as Danielle closed the door. “Love you so much, mommy,” he whispered in a sleepy voice as he watched his mother lead the strange man and Bosco into the kitchen.

As Gil took a seat at the kitchen table, Bosco glared at him; Danielle sighed, it was going to be one of the longest nights she had ever faced in her turbulent life; the past was slowly coming back to haunt her.

“Maurice, you know that before my kids and I came back to New York, we lived in Miami,” Danielle explained as she placed her hand on Bosco’s arm. “What you didn’t know is that before we lived in Miami, we lived in Las Vegas for a little while until John started having some problems…”

Danielle swallowed hard and gazed directly at Gil. “…Edward somehow tracked us down through a leak in the LVPD and discovered John had skipped school on the anniversary of his rape and was loitering on the strip,” Danielle explained, bitterness in her voice. “They treated John like a common criminal until…”

“…I helped Danielle and her kids out,” Gil suddenly cut in. “From there, I helped them connect to Emily Wolfe in Miami, as Officer Wolfe is a Victims Assistance Worker there; she helped them relocate.”

Bosco scoffed. “You thought I’d just run and hide after hearing this, Danielle?” he asked, gazing at Danielle with kind eyes. “I don’t think you understand; I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

To prove his point, Bosco put an arm around her. “Whatever trouble you and your kids are in, I want to help you guys out,” he said in a soft tone. “Tell me what’s going on and let me help protect you all.”

Before Danielle could reply, the phone began to ring, “Just a minute,” Danielle said as she pulled away from Bosco and hurried over to the wall phone. “It could be information about John or Doc.”

Gil and Bosco were silent as Danielle answered the phone and sighed. “…Jimmy, are you serious?” she said in a slightly annoyed tone. “….We just got back from Miami…..all right, all right; see you then.”

Swearing, Danielle slammed the phone down. “Jimmy wants me to go work a shift tomorrow morning,” she snapped in an aggravated tone. “I don’t want to leave David and Ellie alone; they’re not ready to go back to school yet and John is somewhere out in New York; this is too much for me to handle alone.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Danielle sniffled. “Gil, if you can connect with Officer Wolfe anytime soon, just ask her to do me a favor,” she spoke faintly. “Tell her to do everything she can to find John.”

Gil nodded and was silent as Danielle disappeared into the bedroom, “Unfortunately, Officer Boscorelli, I have to go,” Gil said as he moved back towards the living room. “If you need anything, Miss Sullivan knows how to get a hold of me and so does Officer Wolfe; be safe in the meantime.”

Without another word, Gil swiftly left the apartment, closing the door behind him. Bosco sighed and moved into the living room; seeing that David had fallen asleep made Bosco feel a lot better.

Suddenly, a faint vibrating sound brought Bosco back to reality; he frowned and moving back into the kitchen so he wouldn’t wake David, he took the cellphone out of his pocket and held it to his ear.  
*********************************************************************************  
“Officer Boscorelli, this is Lieutenant Caine,” Horatio said into the phone, taking care to talk quietly so that Bobby wouldn’t wake before the tea and soup he had decided to make was ready. “You don’t need to say anything, but I do have to inform you of your partner’s situation. Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., he will be required to meet with the NYPD IAB concerning his unexpected absence from New York.”

There was a faint reply on the other end. “…No, my nephew does not know I am calling you, Officer Boscorelli,” Horatio quietly replied. “I am making this call because my nephew needs as many people in his corner as he can get right now. You are not required to come, but he would appreciate help.”

Without giving Officer Boscorelli a chance to reply, Horatio hung up the phone and turned his attention back to the pot of soup on the stove; it was on the burner next to where the tea kettle sat, holding warm tea inside of it while a cup of tea mixed with honey sat on the counter, ready for drinking.

A massive coughing fit from the other room prompted Horatio to turn his back to the soup, which was on the verge of boiling; he heard footsteps and a moment later, LaRusso entered the kitchen.

“Uncle Horatio, you didn’t have to do this,” LaRusso replied in a faint voice as he grabbed on to the wall to support himself. “I should go over that paperwork now since I allowed myself a little nap.”

Horatio silently turned off the burner and poured the pot of soup into an empty bowl that he had found in one of the cupboards. “What you’re going to do tonight is eat and rest so that IAB doesn’t tear you to pieces tomorrow morning,” he said, carefully carrying the bowl over to the table and setting it down.

LaRusso sighed and reluctantly took a seat at the table; he used his right hand to pick up the spoon in the bowl of soup and slowly eat. “I’ll take your sons to school tomorrow morning and then I’ll go with you to the meeting with IAB,” Horatio stated as he brought the mug of hot tea to the table and set it within his nephew’s reach. “After you finish the soup and tea, I want you to go to bed for the night.”

“You can’t stay up all night,” LaRusso weakly replied as he finished off the soup and dropped the spoon back in the empty bowl. “I can’t expect you to take care of me again; I don’t deserve it.”

Horatio gave LaRusso a stern look. “That, Bobby, is NOT true,” Horatio stated firmly.

LaRusso was silent and instead gripped the mug in his right hand; he drank the tea and rose from the table, setting the mug down carefully. Horatio sighed as LaRusso returned to the living room.

From what Horatio could hear, his nephew had returned to the couch and promptly fallen back asleep, which was good, as sleep would give Bobby the strength needed to face the battle tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, Horatio reasoned, he would do his best to protect those whom he cared about from anything that the darkness and evil of night could awaken; absolutely anything.  
******  
Ignoring the headache that was threatening to pound through her skull, Emily shifted Julliet to her lap and while the young infant rested against her torso, Emily took a small Blackberry from her purse.

Relieved that Sully had gone to use the facilities before takeoff, Emily quickly logged on and seeing that Marisol was also online; she quickly typed in a message and gently kissed Julliet’s head.

E. Wolfe: Marisol, are you there?

M. Delko: Emily, how are you?

E. Wolfe: I’m okay, Marisol, really. How have you been doing since the rescue?

M. Delko: Hanging in there…Eric just brought me home after a round of chemo and then he took off to spend some time with a girl; from what he says, I gather that the girl is a co-worker…

E. Wolfe: Marisol, if you need anything for the next few days, feel free to call Ryan. I’m headed out of town for a few days and I’m taking Julliet with me; this whole thing has got me exhausted.

M. Delko: You mean being left for dead? Did you even go to the hospital?

E. Wolfe: Yeah, Officer Speedle made me go, but I didn’t stay. I have to go find John Sullivan.

M. Delko: What?!......Emily, that’s dangerous; you know you could end up dead.

E. Wolfe: I’m not alone, so I won’t. After I get back, I’ll get back in touch with you.

M. Delko: Emily…..okay….please, PLEASE be careful; are you going to meet up with Lt. Caine?

E. Wolfe: No…I don’t want to run into him either….I have to go…see you later, Mari.

M. Delko: Bye for now  Be safe.

With a sigh, Emily shut the Blackberry off and stored it in her purse, which she put in the storage compartment in front of her; she then wrapped her arms around Julliet and cuddled her closely.

Despite telling Sully and Speedle that she felt okay, Emily knew that she wasn’t feeling well and after her return to Miami, her condition would no doubt get worse; most likely, she did have breast cancer.

Fortunately, Emily was spared from obsessing over such troubling thoughts as Sully returned to his seat and promptly gave her a look. “When we get to New York, I’m taking you to your hotel and staying to look after Julliet so that you can sleep,” he said in a firm tone. “You could really use a rest, Emily.”

Emily responded by letting out a sigh and giving Sully a look. “I might go see a doctor once John is found,” she replied softly. “Until then, Sully, I’m working this on mere faith and dry fumes.”

Giving Emily a concerned look, Sully sighed. “You are as stubborn as you ever were,” he replied, holding out his arms to her. “At least let me hold your daughter so you can get a little sleep now.”

Knowing that Sully wouldn’t back down, Emily handed Julliet to him and slouched. “Thank you, Sully,” she replied in a faint voice. “There are very few people I can count on anymore, you know?”

As Sully nodded, Emily sighed and allowed her eyes to close; she was so exhausted from recent events.

While Emily slept, Sully occupied himself with watching Julliet look around the cabin and listening to the engines as the plane prepared for takeoff; time was running short, yet there was so much left to do.


	10. Hope Rises and Falls

October 20

Miami-Dade PD – Conference Room

“…and it is with great pride that the Miami-Dade Police Department announces the return of Rick Stetler as head of Internal Affairs,” Chief Burton said into the microphone as a smirking Stetler lingered behind the podium. “Sergeant Stetler has been cleared of all charges…..”

From the couch in the CSI Lab Lounge, Eric, Calliegh, and Tim watched the news replay in shock; it was unbelievable that Stetler had not only been reinstated, but he had also been cleared of all charges. They were also shocked to see General Cruz, Clavo, and Ramon lingering behind the podium grinning.

Shouting from the hallway suddenly caught the attention of the three CSI’s and rising from the couch, they left the staff room and immediately came upon Stetler and Ryan in a face off; both looked upset.

“…I’m telling you, Wolfe, your unprofessionalism is bad for the integrity of the lab,” Stetler was telling Ryan as anger crept across both their expressions. “It’s fortunate that Cooper brought the tape dropped off at the PD to my attention. It shows that you’re involved in illegitimate activity…”

Ryan whispered something to Stetler through clenched teeth, “Okay, Wolfe, that does it!” Stetler ordered, his voice infuriated. “Delko, Duquesne, Speedle, all of you in the AV room NOW! I’m calling a meeting! I’m going to show you once and for all who is really bringing the lab down!”

Deeply embarrassed, Ryan looked at the floor as Stetler walked off, shouting to every available CSI that there was an impromptu meeting in the AV lab; Calleigh and Delko walked off, but Tim frowned at Ryan.

“Is everything okay?” Tim asked, concerned that Ryan had somehow gotten himself into trouble.

Ryan didn’t reply and walked off towards the AV Lab, unaware that Tim was right at his heels.

It didn’t take long for everyone to gather in the lab; a few techs, Valera, Cooper, Eric, Calliegh, and a new recruit named Boa Vista were all there along with Ryan. Stetler stood at the front of the room next to a VCR and a pull down screen; the look on his face was angry, yet there were hints of gloating in it.

Without a word, Stetler pressed PLAY and a corner with a dealer on it appeared on the screen.

Ryan suddenly came into view and approached the dealer; words were exchanged, but nothing could be heard. The tape suddenly flashed to a room where Ryan and Bernard Marquez were playing poker; both looked angry and were obviously speaking, but no words could be heard…maybe the sound wasn’t on.

“As you all can see by the tape, Ryan Wolfe is associated with a known drug dealer and also in gambling activity with a known child molester,” Stetler stated sharply as he shut the tape off. “As the newly reinstated head of Internal Affairs, my first act is to fire Ryan Wolfe pending further investigation.”

Ryan could feel everyone giving him looks of utter shock and disgust, “Fine,” he said as he ripped his badge and lab coat off and handed them to Stetler. “You all never accepted me here anyway.”

As Ryan speedwalked out of the room and the lab, Stetler smiled cooly and gestured for Natalia to come to the front, which she did; Natalia did her best to smile, even though she was now shellshocked.

“I would like to introduce the MDPD’s newest CSI, which has been approved of by myself and the acting head of CSI,” Stetler stated, putting an arm around Natalia. “This is Natalia Boa Vista.”

There was a bit of chatter, but everyone gave Natalia smiles, “Miss Boa Vista is assigned to the DNA lab, however, she will be permitted to assist in other areas as needed,” Stetler stated. “That is all.”

Stetler released Natalia and moved over to Calliegh, “Officer Duquesne, a word?” he asked.

Calliegh nodded and as the others gathered around Natalia to welcome her, she followed Stetler out of the AV lab and down the hallway; Stetler wanting to talk to her in a nice way was unheard of.

“As you may already be aware, I’m in the process of making recommendations for changes to the MDPD and the CSI lab,” Stetler stated, his voice a whisper. “I’m going to be recommending that you be given a promotion and the opportunity to supervise the night shift. Would you be interested in that?”

Well aware that she had to choose her words carefully since Horatio wasn’t around, Calliegh nodded and pretended to look enthusiastic, “I would,” she replied gently. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

Stetler nodded and promptly walked off back towards the elevators. Calliegh watched as the crowd around Natalia slowly dispersed and everyone began to resume their normal duties.

Swallowing hard, Calleigh ignored the discomfort that she felt about Ryan’s public humiliation and firing and moved back towards the AV Lab; she had to show Natalia around and get her oriented with things.  
***********************************************************************************  
Plaza Hotel – Manhattan, New York City

With a quiet yawn, Emily opened her eyes and slowly sat up in the king-size bed that was within the bedroom area of the Edwardian suite she had booked for herself and Julliet.

The electronic clock on the bedside table read 6:30, but that was nothing new to her; she had frequently gotten up that early in the day back in Miami….James and Julliet had often needed motherly attention.

Letting out a sigh, Emily got out of bed and, throwing on a light robe over her sweats and gym shirt, she walked over to the crib where Julliet slept; her daughter was still sleeping peacefully.

Trying not to focus on the fact that James was still missing and possibly dead, Emily reached down and gently scooped Julliet into her arms; Julliet instantly woke and smiled at seeing her mother.

“Mama,” Julliet suddenly spoke, a smile on her innocent face. “I wuve you.”

Emily’s eyes widened and she kissed Julliet’s cheek, “Oh, my baby girl,” she said in a gentle tone.

Suddenly remembering her reason for even being in New York, Emily held Julliet close and walked over to the window to look outside; New York was such a big city, where could John Sullivan had gotten to?

What greeted her was a fresh blanket of snow covering cars, sidewalks and the rooftops of every building in plain sight; the street sweepers were already working to clean the streets.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, “Emily, it’s Sully,” a male voice suddenly said. “You awake?”

Emily turned just in time to see the door open and Sully enter with bags in his hands, “I can’t believe you’re up this early,” Sully commented, smiling as he closed the door. “Are you and Julliet hungry?”

“Julliet can only eat soft foods and I’m not hungry,” Emily replied softly. “I came here with a job to do.”

Sully sighed and set the bag on the table, “This qualifies as a major case, so we’ll need to talk to Detective Yokas,” he explained. “I can phone her while you and your daughter have breakfast.”

Emily raised an eyebrow, “Detective Yokas?” she asked, slightly surprised. “It HAS been a long time.”

Sully gave Emily a look, “Fine, I’ll feed myself and Julliet if you can call Faith,” she said, a resigned sigh in her voice. “With the snow, the job of finding John just became a lot harder…we have a lot less time.”  
**********************************************************************  
LaGranga Apartments – New York City, New York

Bobby’s come back to get you and put you in a mental hospital; he wants to take the kids away.

Amanda LaRusso opened her eyes and sat up to find that Maggie was sound asleep in the bed next to her own; the drugs used to heavily sedate the little one into submission worked perfectly.

Her dearest brother, Rick, had heard through reliable sources that Horatio Caine and Bobby were coming back to New York with BJ and Adam; they wanted to rescue Maggie and then go back to Miami.

In retaliation against her husband and his irritatingly persistent uncle, Amanda was preparing to take Maggie and, with the help of Fred, she was going to make sure that nobody would be able to save her.

Amanda knew that Rick had been right, she should have never married the much younger Bobby LaRusso and bore his three children; unfortunately, Bobby’s charm had made him rather attractive.

In light of her deteriorating life, however, Amanda knew that she had to get Maggie out of her hair and then go ask Rick for help; with his legal connections, he could get her out of the country easily.

A sudden knocking at the door brought Amanda out of her thoughts, “Amanda, it’s Fred,” a tired voice spoke through the door. “I got some breakfast and information for you if you want it.”

“Come on in,” Amanda replied in an annoyed tone. “Maggie’s asleep and I’m bored to tears in here.”

The door opened and Fred entered the room with a bag in one hand, “I ran down the street to the corner market and got some BLT bagels for you,” he said, not wanting to tell Amanda that he didn’t trust her to leave the room unsupervised because of her mental state. “I also got some information.”

Amanda was silent, “I heard from one of my friends who works as an airport janitor that Emily Wolfe is in New York,” Fred said as he passed Amanda the bag. “He tracked her whereabouts to the Plaza Hotel.”

Without warning, Amanda crumpled the bag up and slammed it down on the bed, “I TOLD HER NEVER TO COME BACK!” she roared, quickly getting to her feet. “GET ME A GUN AND A CAB RIGHT NOW!”

Terrified of Amanda’s sudden anger, Fred nodded and quickly left the room to do as Amanda asked.

Breathing hard, Amanda glared at the bag and seethed; Emily Wolfe would get what was coming to her.  
*************************************************************************************  
Sully’s Apartment

Letting out a sigh, Danielle rose from the bed, being careful not to wake the still sleeping Ellie.

It was only six a.m., but her shift started in only an hour and Danielle knew that the subway ride to the Bed-Stuy firehouse would give her time to think about the future…she couldn’t live this way anymore.

It didn’t take long for Danielle to get into some clothes from her suitcase and put a warm jacket on to cover her frail body; she was tired and just wanted some peace…but fate wasn’t allowing it.

Biting her lip, Danielle moved over to the window and gazed out; a lot of snow had fallen and John was somewhere out in New York, most likely injured and very sick…only David and Ellie kept her going.

Danielle moved into the front room and saw that David was not only awake, but sitting up in bed; Bosco and Grissom were nowhere to be seen…both had stayed in the apartment to look after everyone.

“Officer Boscorelli and that Las Vegas guy went to get some food for all of us,” David replied sleepily as Danielle approached the hideabed. “Bosco said that Ellie and me don’t have to go to school today.”

Danielle nodded and gently stroked David’s hair, “We just got home from Miami and I thought a few days off from school would give you and Ellie time to get used to being home,” she gently replied. “I have to go back to work today, though, so Officer Boscorelli is going to spend the day with you two.”

“Do you think Officer Boscorelli can help Ellie and me make some posters so people can help us find John?” David asked. “I wanna make some posters and put em up in Central Park for people to see.”

Danielle’s eyes filled with tears and before she realized it, she had pulled David into a hug; she held him gently and cried into the little boy’s shoulder. David wrapped his arms around Danielle and cried.

After a moment of crying, David pulled away, “Mommy, I’m still tired,” he said in a faint voice.

“It’s only six, hon, why don’t you go back to sleep for a little while?” Danielle suggested as she stood.

David nodded and lay back down, “I love you Mom,” he whispered. “Be careful today.”

“I love you too, hon,” Danielle replied, smiling as David fell back asleep. “I’ll be careful.”

Danielle sighed and suddenly realized how dirty she was; she needed to shower and make herself presentable before going to work. Food could wait until later…at least David and Ellie would be fed when they decided to wake up. Grissom and Bosco would be back and they would have food.

Thoughts of John’s current state filled Danielle’s mind as she made her way to the bathroom.  
***********************************************************************************  
New York Police Department Administration Building 

Brendan sighed as he walked out of the office where IAB officers were gathered around a table, the information about Fred and Edward that he had willingly given up since getting back from Miami.

Ty had been there and willing to stay, but IAB had kicked him out and forced Brendan to take accountability for his association with Fred and Edward alone. Now, it was a waiting game.

It would be a long wait; IAB had told him that they had to deal with a case involving Miami and an Officer LaRusso later that morning and because of extenuating circumstances, it was higher priority.

Until then, IAB had put him on street duty in Manhattan and told him to keep his nose clean.

Grace had been recalled to work, so Brendan had been truly alone and was now facing the possibility of losing his badge; he was stupid to have associated with known criminals. He had met with IAB at 4 a.m.

Nobody took notice of Brendan as he left the building and began making his way down the busy sidewalk towards the subway; the snow was still falling and the air was frigid…an early winter.

“Brendan!”

Brendan turned and saw Ty jogging after him, a concerned look on his face, “How’d the meeting go with IAB?” Ty asked, jamming his pockets in his uniform coat. “I decided to hang around and wait for you.”

“I’m posted to street duty in Manhattan until they decide what to do,” Brendan stated coolly. “Grace is working a double today and I’m not on duty until tomorrow. I’m thinking of heading home.”

Across the street from where Brendan and Ty were standing, Fred hurried down the street with a handgun that he had stolen from a pawn shop concealed in his jacket; his cell-phone had vibrated while he had been looking for the gun and Edward had basically ordered him to get rid of Amanda and Maggie. Fred had been tempted to ask what had happened to Doc, but he knew better than to.

As he stepped up to a crosswalk, Fred gazed around nervously; he spotted Ty and Brendan and knew that the two had worked with Faith in the past and if they saw him, he would wind up in jail.

Swallowing hard, Fred pulled the gun out and aimed; without hesitation, he fired several shots in Brendan and Ty’s direction. Ignoring the screams, Fred stuffed the gun in his pocket and ran.

Ty gasped as he felt hot pain in his chest and shoulder and quickly saw Brendan hovering over him.

Brendan yelling into a police radio was the last thing that Ty heard before passing out.  
********************************************************************************  
La Granga Apartments 

BANG!

Amanda grinned as she stared at the gun in her hand, “Nice gun,” she said, grinning at Fred, who was lingering by the door with an uncomfortable look on his face. “Did you get me a cab?”

Fred nodded, ignoring the hole in the wall that Amanda had made by insisting on a test-fire, “Cab’s downstairs and already paid for,” he said. “What are you gonna do with Maggie though?”

“She’s your problem until I get back,” Amanda hissed, glaring back at the sleeping little girl. “I don’t like children much. I only took her to get back at Bobby for trying to ruin my life…”

Fred watched, silent and wide-eyed, as Amanda left the room with the gun clutched in her hand.

There was silence and then another door closed; Amanda had left the apartment.

Swallowing hard, Fred moved into the kitchen; he had to tell someone what was going on.

Quickly, Fred picked up the cordless phone and dialed Faith’s number; he would most likely go to jail for what he had been involved in, but Caroline would look after Charlie and Emily was already safe.

Busy…Fred sighed and hung up the phone; it was his own fault that he was involved in this at all.  
*********************************************************************************  
“....Is that Ty?” Grace asked as Carlos parked against the curb near where they had been directed.

Carlos frowned as Grace went to the back of the ambulance; since Holly was taking an extended leave of absence to be a mother to Kylie and Tommy, Grace and Carlos had been partnered for the time being until something else could be worked out. Now, they had been called to the scene of a shooting.

It didn’t take long to gather their gear and get over to where a uniformed officer was standing over a pale Ty and Brendan, who was kneeling beside Ty, “The vest caught it,” Ty breathed, his voice anxious.

“What happened?” Carlos asked, relieved to see that Ty hadn’t been seriously injured.

Ty took a deep breath to calm down, “I was talking with Brendan and out of nowhere, Fred Yokas starts shooting at us from the other side of the street….I’m lucky I had my uniform and vest on.”

“Okay, we’ll take you to Mercy,” Grace said, watching as Carlos began to check Ty’s vitals. “Brendan, are you okay?”

Brendan nodded and looked at the uniformed officer, “Put an APB out on Fred Yokas,” he ordered, his voice stern as he watched Carlos work on Ty. “Lock down all the schools in this area as a precaution.”

The uniformed officer moved off and Brendan gazed back at Ty, “Do you want me to call Sasha or your mom?” he asked, knowing that someone should be told. “They shouldn’t hear it on the news.”

“Sasha’s out of town,” Ty said weakly, his voice tired. “Maybe call my mom…”

Brendan nodded and moved back so that Carlos and Grace could work; he promptly reached for his cell-phone and began to dial dispatch to get the number for Ty’s mother; the day was starting off badly.  
************************************************************************************  
Plaza Hotel – Lobby

With Emily safely at school and Captain Miller at home, resting, Faith was able to put all her worries aside and focus; she entered the lobby of the Plaza in business clothes, complete with gun and badge.

Right away, Faith saw Sully sitting on a chair in the foyer near the desk; he looked relieved to see that she was there, “Officer Wolfe is still upstairs in her suite with her daughter,” Sully explained.

“I came to tell her that we can’t just go out and start searching random streets,” Faith stated as she sat in an armchair across from Sully. “The NYPD has mapped out a grid of where they think John could be and we should really look it over before doing anything….doing anything else is irresponsible.”

Sully sighed, “Faith, don’t lecture me on responsibility,” a tired voice suddenly said from behind them.

Faith and Sully turned and saw Emily standing there with Julliet in her arms; both were wearing jeans, boots, and sweaters, “The only reason I came back to New York is to find John Sullivan and give some peace to his family,” Emily stated cooly. “How are we going to go about doing that, Faith?”

“While you ladies have it out, I’m going to go out and find a street vendor that sells coffee,” Sully stated in a neutral tone. “I like the coffee at the Plaza, but it’s slightly more expensive than I like it to be.”

Faith and Emily gave Sully surprised looks, but said nothing as the retired cop smiled and walked out into the cold winter morning; he walked down the steps and down the street, looking for a street vendor.

Fortunately, Sully spotted one about half a block from the hotel and stuffing his hands in his pockets, he quickly walked over to the vendor; he paid for a cup of black coffee to tide him over for the walk back.

As Sully began walking back to the hotel, he spotted someone in an alley out of the corner of his eye and frowned; the figure looked thin and seemed to be having trouble walking or even staying upright.

Taking a sip of the coffee, Sully moved down the alley towards the figure and as he got closer, his eyes widened in both shock and horror; a badly beaten, bleeding, and almost frozen John was slowly making his way down the alley in only a t-shirt, bloodstained jeans, and sneakers with his frozen arms and hands bound in front of him by ropes. John was shaking uncontrollably and whimpering to himself.

Sully quickly set the coffee cup on the ground and moved towards John, “John, it’s Grandpa Sullivan,” Sully said in a gentle, yet clear voice as he opened his arms. “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“So cold…” John whispered as he took another step forward and fell into Sully’s arms. “Hurts…”

Being careful not to let John fall, Sully quickly took his jacket off and dropped it on the ground; he then carefully lay the shivering John on top of it. John whimpered and let out a quiet wheeze.

Sully swore and ignoring the cold, he took off his sweater and covered John’s torso with it, “Just stay awake and take slow breaths, kiddo,” Sully said as he took his cell-phone out of his pocket.

“Thought I was gonna die…” John whispered as Sully quickly called 9-1-1 and explained the situation.

Placing the cell-phone on the ground, Sully began to work on trying to untie John’s bound wrists.

Unknown to Sully or John, unfortunately, the trouble was far from over for any of them.  
***********************************************************************  
“Adam 55-3…”

Grace scoffed and picked up the radio; it was bad enough that Ty had decided not to go to the hospital and was instead keeping Brendan company. Now, she and Carlos now had to answer another call.

Behind the wheel, Carlos listened as dispatch ordered them to an alleyway that was quite close to the Plaza Hotel, “….Be advised, the patient is the missing JT Sullivan and both civilians and media are starting to gather….NYPD patrol cops are being called to the scene for crowd control…..Do you copy?”

Carlos and Grace exchanged a look, but were silent as Carlos flipped on the siren and began driving the ambulance towards the scene; they couldn’t believe that JT Sullivan had been found alive.  
****************************************************************************  
Amanda gritted her teeth as she hurried up the subway steps and down the busy sidewalk towards the Plaza; the gun tucked into the jacket that she had stolen from a dumpster was ready to fire.

Emily Wolfe would die that very day, Amanda mused as she moved down the sidewalk. After that, she would go down to her house, kill Horatio Caine, and force Bobby to take care of everything again.

Fred would find some way to deal with Maggie and after she killed Horatio, Amanda planned to put Adam and BJ in a foster home; she never wanted to deal with children…just control a husband.

Police cars and an ambulance sped by as Amanda joined the crowd of people that were slowly streaming towards the Plaza; all of them were chattering excitedly about some missing kid being found.

Vengeance would be hers, Amanda reflected evilly, as she made her way to the Plaza Hotel.  
*******************************************************************************  
“…Sully, I cannot believe you found him!” Emily said anxiously as she and Faith entered the alley where two uniformed officers and Sully were trying to keep John awake until paramedics arrived on scene.

Sully nodded and kept his attention on John, who was slowly starting to warm up thanks to the winter coats that uniformed officers had covered the frozen teen with; John looked so tired, but stayed awake.

The police had been quick to respond and had cordoned off the area to everyone but essential personnel and a crowd of civilians and media had gathered as close as they could get; JT Sullivan had been missing for several days and because of Miami’s involvement, the case was national news.

Brendan and Ty were among the uniformed officers in charge of crowd control; the dispatcher was in the process of informing all available NYPD personnel about the current situation.

“Paramedics coming through!” Carlos suddenly yelled as he and Grace pushed through the crowd towards John and Sully with their paramedic equipment; their ambulance was parked half a block back.

Sully sighed, the rope from John’s wrists in his hand, “John, the paramedics are here and they’re gonna take you to the hospital where you’ll be safe,” he said, gazing down at his oldest grandson. “Okay?”

“…Ellie…okay?” John asked, his voice faint as he struggled to stay conscious. “I…tried…to help…her.”

As Carlos and Grace began unpacking their supplies, Sully nodded and stepped back, “Ellie’s okay and she’s with David and Officer Boscorelli today,” Sully said. “Your mom had to work this morning.”

“Hey John, I’m working with a paramedic named Grace today and we’re gonna get you on a backboard and into the ambulance as fast as we can,” Carlos said as he moved a jacket away from John’s left arm.

John winced as Carlos touched his arm, “Hurts,” John whispered. “Can’t move my arm…”

“Grace, splint his left arm and I’ll check his blood sugar,” Carlos said as he moved over to John’s right arm.

Grace moved another jacket and quickly splinted John’s left arm, “There’s blood coming out of his mouth, Carlos,” Faith said as she watched Emily balance holding Julliet and talking with the officers.

“Faith, I have to call this into Victims Assistance,” Emily said as she shifted Julliet to her shoulder. “I need to go into the Plaza and see if I can use their phone. I left my BlackBerry in my hotel room.”

Faith nodded, “Sully, go with them,” she ordered. “When you’re done, I’ll need a statement.”

Sully nodded and helped Emily get through the crowd without losing her hold on Julliet; they began to walk down the street towards the Plaza, passing Brendan and Ty without so much as a word.

“EMILY WOLFE, YOU ARE DEAD!” an infuriated voice suddenly shouted from behind.

Emily and Sully turned just in time to see a woman climb on top of a squad car, pull out a nasty-looking gun and begin firing at them; Emily recognized the woman as Amanda LaRusso…off her medication.

Screams filled the air as the crowd scattered and nearly knocked over Grace and Carlos, who were carrying John to the ambulance on a backboard which was covered by blankets, “…shooting,” John said in a weak, yet scared voice as he was strapped to the backboard. “….gonna kill us…”

Amanda roared with fury and as Brendan fired at Amanda, she fired at Emily again; the bullet came at her and Emily turned to protect Julliet from being hit…she immediately felt heat sear across her back.

“Sully…I think I’ve been shot,” Emily breathed as Julliet began to scream. “My back….help me…”

Brendan’s shot hit Amanda right in the chest and with a final shot towards Emily, Amanda fell backwards off the car and slammed into the ground; the sound of her bones and neck breaking was horrifying.

“Call for another rig, Officer Wolfe was hit!” Sully yelled to Carlos as Grace moved John into the rig.

Emily shook her head, “Sully, just carry Julliet for me and help me to the rig,” she said, trying to calm her anxiety. “I’m an active Victims Assistance worker and I have to ride with John…VA regulations.”

Sully nodded and, taking Julliet, he helped Emily walk to the rig, “Someone needs to go by Officer LaRusso’s house and tell him about his wife,” she said weakly. “Amanda was off her meds.”

“I have to ride with John,” Emily breathed as she got into the back of the ambulance and took a seat beside the gurney. “I’m okay and I have to ride with Mr. Sullivan according to VA regulations.”

Grace nodded, “Sully, can you hand Julliet to me please?” Emily asked as Grace closed one of the doors.

“I’ll meet you at Angel of Mercy,” Sully promised as he reluctantly handed Julliet back to Emily.

Sully stepped back as Grace pulled the other door shut and watched as Carlos sped off through the crowd, taking great care not to run over anyone or hit any rescue vehicles that were in the area.

“Davis, take Finney and go over to LaRusso’s house!” Sully shouted as he jogged through the crowd.

Even though he knew that he and Brendan were supposed to stay on scene until receiving further instructions, Ty nodded and pulled Brendan through the crowd; they had to handle this quietly.

Letting out a sigh, Sully took one look at the chaos around and began making his way to Mercy; as he walked, he pulled his cell-phone from his pocket and began to dial Danielle’s cell phone number.  
**************************************************************************  
The sound of a teakettle whistling slowly brought LaRusso back to awareness; he was lying down.

Sounds of small children laughing….his eyes wouldn’t open; he could only hear the world around him.

“Hey, David, Ellie, don’t wake Officer LaRusso up,” LaRusso suddenly heard Bosco say from nearby.

There was a momentary silence, “Adam, BJ, why don’t you take David and Ellie upstairs and show them your playroom?” LaRusso heard his uncle say in a gentle tone. “I need to talk to Officer Boscorelli.”

Footsteps thundered up the stairs as LaRusso opened his eyes; through blurred vision, he saw Bosco and his uncle walk into the kitchen, deep in conversation. LaRusso sighed; he didn’t feel very good today.

Ignoring the aching in his neck and head, LaRusso sat up and immediately slouched, “Hey, LaRusso, how are you feeling?” Bosco asked as he walked back into the living room. “Danielle had to work today—“

LaRusso sighed, his eyes and pale complexion betraying how he really felt inside, “I have to be downtown for a meeting with IAB at 10,” he said as he slouched back against the couch. “I haven’t felt good for a long time and I feel worse this morning….Bosco, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Your uncle called me last night and told me what was going on,” Bosco replied softly. “There’s a CSI from Las Vegas outside guarding the door while I help make sure everyone’s safe in here.”

LaRusso’s casted wrist suddenly throbbed, causing him to wince, “What time is it?” he asked weakly.

“Seven-thirty,” Bosco replied gently as he sat down next to LaRusso. “You get a good sleep?”

LaRusso was silent for a moment, “Once all this crap straightens out, Bosco, I’m leaving New York for good,” he confessed, gazing at his partner. “I’m going to Miami to live and work with my uncle.”

Before Bosco could reply, there was a knock at the front door and then it opened, “Officer LaRusso?” Grissom said as he entered the house. “There’s a couple of officers outside needing to talk to you.”

Thinking that IAB had decided to come early for him, LaRusso silently swore and stood up; he didn’t exactly look presentable in sweats, shoes, and a t-shirt with his hair a mess, but it would do.

Having overheard Grissom’s comment, Horatio entered the room and stood on the other side of Bosco with a frown on his face, “Officer Boscorelli and I will help you through this, Bobby,” Horatio stated in a firm, yet reassuring tone. “We’ll get through this IAB mess and then we’ll figure the other things out.”

LaRusso nodded and was silent as Brendan and Ty entered the house with their hats in their hands and solemn looks on their faces. Grissom entered last and watched silently, his facial expression grim.

“Officer LaRusso, I’m Lieutenant Davis and this is my partner, Sergeant Finney,” Ty stated, gesturing to Brendan as he looked directly at LaRusso. “We came to talk to you about an Amanda LaRusso.”

At the mention of his wife, LaRusso turned deathly pale, but remained quiet, “There was a shooting near the Plaza about half an hour ago,” Ty explained. “The shooter was identified as Amanda LaRusso and after causing a lot of terror and possible civilian injuries, she was taken down with a single shot…”

“Grace and Carlos were lucky that no harm came to them or JT Sullivan!” Brendan cut in, his voice anxious. “Sully and that crazy Officer Wolfe were moving targets for that woman off her meds!”

Horatio’s eyes widened at the mention of ‘Officer Wolfe’, but he remained silent. Bosco and Grissom also looked both shocked and relieved that John had been found alive….but silence was best for now.

“PD needs you to come down to Mercy Hospital and identify your wife’s body,” Ty stated solemnly. “I know you weren’t expecting to do this, but there wasn’t any other option than to kill her in defense.”

The reality of Amanda being killed after shooting up a public area while off her medication quickly set in and LaRusso suddenly felt very lightheaded; his wife and the mother of his children was now dead.

As LaRusso felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, he could hear a whole lot of frantic talking.  
***********************************************************************************  
Bed-Stuy Firehouse

Ignoring the tiredness that made her body feel like she was weighted down by sandbags, Danielle entered the firehouse; she saw Jacob already in the rig, cleaning and prepping it for the duty shift.

“Ah, there’s my girl!” Jacob said cheerfully as he spotted Danielle. “How are you?”

Danielle forced herself to smile as she lingered on the steps, “I’m hanging in there, Jacob,” she replied in a kind voice. “I heard you got some time off while I was in Miami? What did you do with all that time?”

“I took my wife and kids to Hawaii and we had a lot of fun,” Jacob replied, a smile on his face as he eyes sparkled. “Maybe later in the shift, I’ll show you some pictures….How was Miami?”

Danielle sighed, “Miami is certainly different than New York,” she replied gently, not wanting to tell Jacob that Ellie had been found, but John was still missing and possibly dead. “I gotta get ready.”

Jacob nodded and Danielle hurried up the stairs; she didn’t want to talk to anyone else right now.

Unfortunately for her, the moment that she got into the main area, Danielle ran into Jimmy coming out of his office, “Welcome back, Danielle,” Jimmy said in a cheerful tone. “How was Miami?”

Danielle scoffed, “Sir, I don’t really want to talk about it,” she replied. “I just want to get to work.”

Jimmy nodded and as he turned away, Danielle’s cell-phone suddenly started vibrating. 

Danielle swore loudly and ignoring Jimmy’s shocked look, she took it out of her pocket and opened it.  
“Danielle Sullivan,” Danielle said in an annoyed tone. “What?...oh…oh my gosh…..”

After several moments of silence, Danielle hung up and pocketed the phone, “Jimmy, I can’t go on the street today,” she said, her voice full of both intense shock and awe. “That was my dad…John was found this morning and is being taken to Angel of Mercy hospital by paramedics…. I need to be with my kids.”

“You shouldn’t go by yourself,” Jimmy replied, relieved that John was alive. “I’ll call Kim and ask her to come take you there if she can. If she can’t, I’ll take you and Jacob can be reassigned.”

Danielle nodded and as Jimmy walked off to make the arrangements, Danielle put a hand over her mouth and gripped the table to support herself; tears of relief filled her eyes…her John was alive.

Maybe, Danielle thought, despite all the crap in the world…maybe now there was a silver lining.

Even if it didn’t last for very long, Danielle knew that even the smallest of silver linings was good.


	11. Traumatic Saves and Losses

“Hey kiddo, what’s up?” a cool feminine voice said as John found himself alone in a fog.

John turned and saw the woman he long considered an aunt, Maritza Cruz, standing there in black boots, jeans, and a black t-shirt with a gold shield clipped to the breast pocket; she looked very peaceful.

“Aunt Ritza, am I dead?” John asked, fear in his voice. “I remember a lot of shooting…”

Maritza shook her head, smiling, “No kiddo, you’re not,” she replied softly. “You’re just unconscious.”

John frowned, “I don’t understand why this happened to me,” he replied softly. “What did I do?”

“Kiddo, you didn’t do anything,” Maritza replied softly. “The world is full of sick, sadistic people who have nothing better to do than hurt kids…You’re lucky, though, you have people who love you very much.”

John nodded, “My mom, David, Ellie, and my grandpa,” he replied. “I guess Bosco cares about me too.”

“That’s right, kiddo,” Maritza said softly as she nodded. “I hate to do this, but it’s time for you to go…”  
***************************************  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – New York City - 8:30 A.M.

Beep…beep…beep…

“Normal sinus rhythm…..How fast is surgery coming to get him?”

John’s eyes slowly opened and he saw several men and women in scrubs, plastic ponchos, gloves, goggles, and masks hovering over various parts of his body; he felt a mask covering his mouth and nose.

“....Miss Sullivan, he’s awake,” Dr. Fields said, suddenly noticing that John’s eyes were open. 

From her place in the crowded hospital foyer, Danielle pulled away from Jimmy and shoved her way through the media into the trauma room; she hurried over to the gurney and stood behind a nurse.

“Mary, let her through,” Dr. Fields said. “Surgery’s coming and John’s mother can keep him calm.”

Mary Proctor nodded, “We’ve taken care of the gash on his forehead and we had to cut some of his hair to do it…you can stand by his head,” she explained, gesturing to the bandage on John’s forehead.

Danielle nodded and gently approached the gurney, “Hey baby,” she said her voice quivering as John looked at her and tried to lift his hand to move the mask. “John, just lie there and I’ll talk, okay?”

John blinked and tears slid down his bruised face, “It’s gonna be okay, honey,” Danielle said gently as she stroked John’s dirty hair and gazed into his tired eyes. “The doctors are going to help you.”

The door slid open and two surgeons entered with their arms full of folders, “Picked up his films on the way down,” one of the surgeons said as they saw Danielle standing beside him. “He needs to go up.”

“Miss Sullivan, we have to take him up now,” Dr. Fields said, looking at Danielle. “You can’t go with him, but the nurses will show you to the waiting area. Say a quick goodbye and you’ll see him in a few hours.”

Danielle nodded, “Sweetie, I can’t go with you because they’re gonna take you upstairs for some surgery,” she said, gently stroking John’s face. “I’ll see you when you’re out okay? Be brave.”

John managed a weak nod and Danielle stepped away to let the medical staff work; she covered her hand with her mouth and turned away. A few moments later, the gurney was rolled from the room.

Filled with both shock and relief, Danielle leaned against a counter and started crying softly.  
********************************************************************************  
Baracan Consulate – Miami, Florida

“….thanks to the efforts of a local civilian and Victims Assistance worker Emily Wolfe, the missing John Sullivan was located in New York this morning and has been hospitalized….”

Clavo swore silently and turned the TV off; he glanced at Ramon, who was resting on the couch.

“Did they get here safely, Ramon?” Clavo hissed as he moved towards a door. “Where are they?”

Ramon lazily pointed towards the door, “Someone dropped them off and I locked them in there,” he replied dully. “I told Papi and Mami that they were friends that you met at a charity event.”

Clavo nodded and, taking a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and entered the room; a pale, blonde woman was seated on the edge of a bed with an arm around a sleeping girl with reddish hair.

“Suzie Keaton,” Clavo gloated, a grin on his face as he approached the woman. “Ray’s alive, isn’t he?”

Suzie was silent for a moment as she looked at Madison, “Ray’s dead,” she replied. “You know that.”

“No, Ray’s alive and obviously doesn’t care about you very much,” Clavo replied smugly. “Maybe once he realizes that you and your little girl are in danger, he’ll stop hiding behind Emily Wolfe’s lies.”

Suzie swallowed hard, “I don’t know anything about her,” she replied, her voice trembling with fear.

“You’ll be excellent company for a while then,” Clavo hooted before he moved back towards the door.

As Clavo left, Suzie began to cry; she and Madison had been hauled out of New York in a windowless van along with some dark-skinned man who was badly wounded. The driver, a blonde, evil-looking man, had dropped her and Madison at the Consulate and had driven off with the other man still in tow.

All Suzie could do now was hope and pray that someone found her and Madison before it was too late.  
*************************************************************************************  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – Emergency Room

The sound of erratic beeping and unintelligible noise filled LaRusso’s ears so very suddenly; he twitched, trying to move away from it, but hands came down on his shoulder and pinned him in place.

“Easy,” the familiar, unusually soothing voice of his partner suddenly said. “Just take it easy.”

LaRusso immediately panicked and fought to get free, “LaRusso, wake up!” a commanding voice suddenly said in a concerned tone. “If you keep this up, I’ll have to get a nurse in here…”

Feeling as if he were going to be sick, LaRusso opened his eyes and saw Bosco standing over him looking concerned, “Bosco,” LaRusso said in a faint voice. “Where are my boys…where am I?”

“You’re at Mercy ER,” Bosco explained calmly. “Hang on; I’ll raise the bed so you can see.”

LaRusso felt the bed rise and suddenly he could see through the windows into the foyer; Adam, BJ, David, and Ellie were all sitting on a row of chairs with Sully seated on a rolling chair in front of them.

“Bosco, I have to see Amanda,” LaRusso said in a weak voice, his hands shaking as he reached for the IV that was taped to his left forearm. “Help me get downtown…I have to talk to her.”

Bosco quickly put a hand over of LaRusso’s, “Your uncle’s handling it,” Bosco replied in a solemn voice. “I was told to stay here in case you woke up. IAB wants to talk to you, but your uncle won’t let them.”

“Where’s Uncle Horatio?” LaRusso asked weakly, suddenly feeling worn out from talking so much.

Bosco released LaRusso’s hand, “He’s downtown with some people from the New York Crime Lab,” Bosco stated gently. “They’re trying to figure out if an investigation should be launched against Amanda even though she’s dead. She had a gun and tried to kill a former NYPD cop downtown …”

“She was off her meds,” LaRusso replied weakly, fighting to keep from falling asleep. “Even before I met and married her, Amanda had some serious struggles with mental illness…Bosco, I’m so tired.”

Bosco nodded, “Rest for a while and I’ll go tell your kids how you’re doing,” he said in a reassuring tone as he moved away from the bed. “Your uncle will probably come back when he’s finished downtown.”

“My Maggie…” LaRusso whispered as he allowed his tired body to relax and his eyes to close once more.

Biting his lip, Bosco moved out of the exam room and over to where Sully and the four children were sitting, “LaRusso’s resting,” Bosco said in a tone that only Sully could hear. “Where’s Danielle?”

“She went upstairs to the waiting room,” Sully replied, smiling as the small children worked quietly on the coloring books that the nurses had provided. “John’s probably still in surgery…”

Sully nodded and the two moved a few inches away from the kids, “Emily Wolfe, the officer who found John, refused an exam and took off downtown with her daughter,” he explained in a worried tone. “She was injured by the bullet, but doesn’t want anyone touching her…I can’t believe she was a target…”

“I didn’t have the heart to tell LaRusso that his wife tried to kill a cop,” Bosco replied in a quiet voice as he looked through the glass at the now sleeping LaRusso. “The media is going to be having a field day.”

Sully sighed, “I’m thinking of taking David and Ellie upstairs to be with their mother,” he stated in a tired voice. “Maybe you should take LaRusso’s sons to the cafeteria and let their dad get some rest.”

“How long have you known about LaRusso, Sully?” Bosco asked, still reeling from the fact that he had known so little about his partner. “He was never one to talk about his personal life to me.”

Sully gave Bosco a look, “It’s complicated,” he replied. “LaRusso swore me to secrecy about it.”

“Mr. Bosco, can Adam and I see Daddy yet?” BJ suddenly asked, gazing at the two officers from the plastic chairs they were sitting on. “I wanna ask him why he fell down when those cops came.”

Sully cringed and was about to say no, but Bosco spoke up, “Your dad’s not feeling well today and that’s why he fell down,” Bosco explained in a gentle voice. “The people at the hospital gave him some medicine to help him feel better, but he needs to sleep right now. Do you understand?”

BJ nodded and his stomach suddenly growled, “Hey kids, Officer Bosco is going to take you all to the cafeteria for some food,” Sully suddenly said in a calming tone. “I’ll stay here with your dad.”

All four kids quickly got to their feet, excited at the prospect of food, “The kids don’t need to be here when LaRusso’s uncle gets back and I know more of the story than you,” Sully whispered into Bosco’s ear. “Besides, I have a feeling that Major Cases will also want to talk to LaRusso about his daughter.”

Nodding, Bosco silently led the children off down the hallway towards the elevators. Sully sighed and looked into the room where LaRusso was sleeping; the past always seemed to mess people up.  
***********************************************************************************  
Victims Assistance Headquarters – Miami, Florida

Swallowing hard, Ryan entered the split level brick building and, referring to the text message he had received as he was cleaning out his locker, he walked down the long hallway towards the office door.

The box of his few possessions was under his arm, so knocking was tough, but Ryan managed it.

“Enter,” a crisp voice said, making Ryan wonder if he was doing the right thing by coming here.

With a sigh, Ryan opened the door and saw a chair behind a large desk facing the wall, “Shut the door and have a seat, Mr. Wolfe,” the crisp voice said. “I have something important to discuss with you.”

Ryan did as he was told and when he was seated, the chair turned, revealing a well dressed Ray Caine behind the desk, “My name is Ray Caine and I am the co-founder of the Victims Assistance Network,” he stated. “I have recently heard from a reliable source that you recently lost your job at the Crime Lab?”

“Yes,” Ryan replied softly, clearly remembering Stetler’s smirk as he fired him in front of the entire lab.

Ray nodded and opened a desk drawer, “I know all about your past issues, Mr. Wolfe,” he said as he took out a small wallet and slid it across the desk to Ryan. “What do you plan to do with your future?”

“I’m not sure,” Ryan admitted. “I need to find a job to take care of my sister and her daughter.”

Ray nodded and suddenly looked thoughtful, “What I am about to offer you is confidential and can only be shared within this underground organization,” he stated firmly. “Are you willing to promise that?”

Ryan nodded and Ray pulled a thick folder out of the drawer and handed it to Ryan, “Fill that out while I explain about the organization and what your role will be,” Ray said in a firm tone.

Again, Ryan nodded and listened as Ray began to talk about the underground network in great detail.  
*************************************************************************************  
The pale body of Amanda LaRusso lay on a metal slab, covered by a long sheet from the collarbone down. Dr. Sid Hammerback stood over the body with a tray of medical tools at his side. Stitches lined Amanda’s upper chest; the autopsy had been completed in record time despite circumstances.

Silence reigned for a moment and then the door opened, “Sid, what have you got for us?” Mac asked in a solemn tone as he and Horatio entered the cold room. “You said on the phone that it was done.”

Sid nodded and moved the sheet down to reveal a single bullet hole near Amanda’s heart, “Single bullet hole tore through the aorta and the shock of it caused her to faint,” he explained as Horatio and Mac approached the table. “Fainting caused her to fall off the car and sustain a C3 fracture.”

“A broken neck,” Horatio stated solemnly. “Amanda suffered from extreme mental illness for years.”

Mac sighed, “Unfortunately, according to what you and other witnesses have said to police, she was the last person to see Maggie LaRusso alive,” he stated. “However, there is a rumor on the street that a Fred Yokas was also associated with Amanda and she left Maggie with him before this morning’s episode.”

Horatio was silent; if Maggie was still missing, perhaps there was an inkling of hope that she was alive.

“…No, Faith, I’m NOT going with you!” a strained female voice suddenly shouted from down the hall.

Horatio and Mac turned just in time to see Emily storm into the room wearing an oversized jacket over jeans, boots, and whatever was covering her chest. She was holding Julliet with trembling arms.

A second later, Faith entered the room, “You’re hurt, Emily, and you need to go back to the hospital,” she said in a stern, yet gentle tone. “Let the New York cops handle this, you don’t need to get involved just because of that mandate. Your own health should come first, no matter what.”

“John Sullivan is currently undergoing surgery at Angel of Mercy Hospital,” Emily stated to Horatio and Mac, blatantly ignoring Faith’s words. “I just came to inform you of that and to check on how the autopsy on Amanda LaRusso is progressing. It’s all part of my work for Victims Assistance.”

Julliet whimpered, “Mama hurt,” she said, feeling the shaking arms of her beloved mother.

Horatio frowned, “Miss Wolfe, please take off your jacket,” he said a concerned, yet very firm tone.

Biting her lip, Emily carefully handed Julliet to Faith and removed her jacket, revealing a loose tank top underneath. Horatio, Mac, and Faith all noticed a deep, reddening burn across Emily’s shoulders.

“I’m getting you a cab and Detective Yokas can take you back to the hospital,” Mac stated in a firm tone before leaving the room and not giving Emily a chance to argue or even respond.

Horatio gently placed his fingers on the burn and Emily immediately winced, “It’s all right, just breathe,” he said in a calming tone. “Word is that you and John Sullivan senior found JT Sullivan this morning.”

“Right before Amanda LaRusso shot at us,” Emily replied softly, ignoring Faith’s horrified look. “I waited around Mercy long enough to relay information to the Victims Assistance Headquarters and I left my shirt there. Sully gave me his jacket so I wouldn’t freeze to death. I had to protect my Julliet.”

Horatio nodded and gently put the jacket back on Emily, “All right, I want you to go back to the hospital and let the medical staff take care of you,” he said in a reassuring tone. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Emily nodded and silently followed Faith from the room, “Flack needs to talk to JT Sullivan about the possible location of Monte Parker,” Mac stated in a low voice. “How soon is that going to be possible?”

Horatio was silent, so Mac continued, “JT Sullivan’s prints were found on the gun that killed Stewart Otis,” Mac stated in a grave tone. “It’s vital that we get him to tell us exactly what happened.”

“It’s possible that Edward Addison and Clavo Cruz took Monte Parker back to Miami in an attempt to exact revenge on JT for managing to escape,” Horatio theorized. “However, JT may not be able to…”

Mac turned to Sid, “I’d like a full written report of the autopsy on Amanda LaRusso for the NYPD IAB to help them in dealing with the LaRusso situation,” Mac stated in a brisk tone. “I’d also like you to unearth the autopsy report on Stewart Otis and forward that to the Miami-Dade Crime Lab for processing.”

Feeling as if he were not going to get anywhere with Mac at that time, Horatio sighed and quietly slipped from the room; his presence was needed at the hospital to assist with his nephew’s affairs.  
***********************************************************************************  
Surgical Waiting Room – Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City

“Danielle?”

Danielle looked up from the carpeted floor and saw Jimmy lingering in the doorway, “Jimmy, I know I’m supposed to be on duty today, but I can’t work,” she said in an anguished voice. “John’s still in surgery and I’m hoping against all hope that Edward didn’t do any lasting damage to my eldest son.”

“I talked with the administrators downtown and in light of the situation, they’ve agreed to give you three extra days off with pay,” Jimmy explained, crossing his arms. “Where are David and Ellie?”

Danielle sighed, but before she could reply, Bosco appeared in the doorway with David, Ellie, Adam, and BJ crowded around him and holding small sacks of food in their small hands. Danielle looked alarmed. 

“What are Officer LaRusso’s sons doing here?” Danielle asked as David and Ellie came over to her and handed her a bag of food. “Did something happen at the same time John was found?”

Bosco sighed, “Amanda LaRusso tried to shoot up Manhattan this morning,” he admitted solemnly. 

Danielle’s eyes widened, but she remained quiet, “Danielle, If you want, I can take your kids and LaRusso’s kids home with me,” Jimmy suddenly spoke up. “I ended up getting the rest of the day off and I don’t mind having the kids around to be company for Kim, Camille, and I while Joey’s in school.”

“Thank you,” Danielle replied softly, gently stroking both David and Ellie’s hair with her hands. “Are you guys okay with going over to Jimmy and Kim’s for a little while? I need to wait here for news on John.”

Ellie nodded and hugged Danielle, “I hope Dad didn’t hurt John too bad,” David whispered in a fearful voice as Ellie pulled away and he gave his mother a quick hug. “Will Adam and BJ come with us too?”

Danielle nodded, “Stop by the ER on your way out and tell Sully where you’re taking LaRusso’s kids,” Bosco stated in a soft voice. “He’s down there keeping an eye on LaRusso for the time being.”

Jimmy nodded and Danielle silently watched as Jimmy led the four kids from the room. Bosco sighed and moving over to the couch, he sat down next to Danielle and put a protective arm around her.

“Oh, Maurice,” Danielle whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. “All of this is just too much.”

Bosco nodded and was silent as Danielle rested her head on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair until all he could hear was soft breathing; Bosco gazed at her, realizing that she had fallen asleep.

Knowing that he had nothing better to do, even if IAB did come looking for him, Bosco sighed and held Danielle tenderly; he loved her so much and he wanted to be there for her and her three wonderful children for the rest of all of their lives. If only Danielle and her kids would consent to that…if only.  
**********************************************************************************  
Street – New York City

The sound of loud honking woke Horatio with a start and he sat up straight in the back of the cab that was transporting him to Mercy; there appeared to be a traffic jam right in front of them.

A shot suddenly fired, silencing the horns, “What was that?” Horatio asked in a brisk tone as he threw some cash at the cabbie and quickly got out, only to see that others were also getting out of their cars.

Nothing but unintelligible mumbling responded and another shot rang out, causing people to scream.  
Horatio ran through the lines of cars and came upon a crowd that was gathering at an intersection; he pushed his way through the crowd and saw a man with a gun hovering over an unconscious Maggie.

“I didn’t mean to,” Fred whispered as he held the gun limply in his hand. “She got too noisy.”

Horatio knelt down and quickly checked for a pulse. It was no use, however; Maggie was dead.

“She wasn’t supposed to die,” Fred mumbled in a monotone voice. “Amanda wanted her alive.”

Before Horatio could react, Fred pulled out a cell-phone and dialed a number; he then set the phone on the ground and waited. Suddenly, LaRusso’s tired voice could be heard on the other end.

Realizing that this man had somehow gotten a hold of Bobby’s cell number, Horatio moved towards Fred, “This is a final present from Amanda,” Fred said as he positioned the gun under his chin.

A shot rang out and immediately, Fred collapsed to the ground next to Maggie; both of them dead.

Loud screaming could be heard on the other end of the line. Horatio swore loudly and, hearing the sound of sirens in the distance, he took a photo of the crime scene with his phone and darted off.

It wouldn’t be long before the media got a hold of this and he had to do some serious damage control.  
*************************************************************************************  
IAB Office – Miami-Dade Police Department – Miami, Florida

“…Sergeant Stetler, you have a call on Line Two,” a crisp female voice said through an intercom.

Scoffing, Stetler tapped the line button on his phone, picked up the receiver, and leaned back in his chair, “This is Sergeant Stetler,” he said in an official tone. “….Yes, I’ll accept the charges…”

As the voice on the other line began speaking, Stetler’s heart suddenly dropped, “…oh no,” he said, his voice full of shock. “….Well, where’s my brother-in-law, Bobby, at? Oh, he was hospitalized for shock?”

There was more talking from the voice on the other end and Stetler found himself nodding, “…I don’t even KNOW a Fred Yokas, so why would I want to talk to the NYPD?!” he yelled, his voice full of rage.

Swearing loudly, Stetler slammed the phone down; he couldn’t believe that some New York reporter had somehow found his number, phoned him, and had told him that Fred Yokas had killed Maggie LaRusso before killing himself. Not only that, but the reporter had started off the conversation by asking him if he wanted to comment on the fact that his sister was killed while trying to shoot up Manhattan?

Stetler suddenly felt very angry; Horatio and Bobby were in New York at the moment, so there was no doubt that they were involved in this entire mess. It was their fault Amanda and Maggie had died.

A snarl on his lips, Stetler picked up the phone and dialed another number,”…Clavo, it’s Ricky,” he hissed in an angry tone. “I want you to do me a very, very big favor. Be quiet and listen to me carefully…”  
************************************************************************************  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – 11:00

Emily sighed and was careful to lie on her side; the bandage covering her treated back burn itched slightly and the cool air touched her slightly exposed back, but it was also somewhat soothing.

“Officer Wolfe, I really think an IV might help you feel better,” Dr. Powell, a middle-aged woman who had salt and pepper hair and was adorned in green scrubs and a lab coat, asked in a concerned tone as she watched Emily lay there with only a gown covering her upper body. 

Emily sighed and gazed over at Faith, who was seated on a chair in the corner with Julliet on her lap, “I don’t need an IV, Doctor Powell, but I need to ask you something,” she said in a tired voice. “Would it be possible to have a biopsy done on both of my breasts here? I was supposed to have it done in Miami…”

“Of course,” Dr. Powell replied in a soft tone. “I can arrange it for while I have you under observation.”

As Dr. Powell left the exam room, Faith frowned at Emily, “A breast biopsy?” Faith asked, concerned.

“There’s a good chance that I might have cancer, Faith,” Emily replied softly. “I’m not sure, though.”

Faith winced, “Have you told your brother about it?” she asked. “He can support you through this.”

“Ryan knows about the biopsy,” Emily replied. “If something comes of it, I’ll tell him.”

Suddenly, there was a loud sob from the hallway. Faith frowned and, lifting Julliet to her shoulder, she carried the little girl towards the transparent door and saw a crowd gathering down the hallway.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked in a weak voice as she watched Faith linger at the exam room door.

Faith was silent for a moment, “I’ll go check it out and get Julliet something to eat while I’m gone,” she said in a reassuring tone. “Just relax and don’t worry about anything. Do you want something to eat?”

“No, thank you,” Emily replied in a weak voice. “I’m just going to rest for a little while.”

Taking great care to be quiet, Faith left the room and carried Julliet down the hallway towards the crowd; she moved through the crowd and immediately froze. Fred’s body was lying in a black body bag on top of a metal gurney in a trauma room next to the open body bag containing a dead little girl.

Out of the corner of her eye, Faith could also see a man and Sully consoling a hospital patient in another exam room who was sobbing hysterically; Faith reasoned that he was upset over the little girl.

Julliet rested her head against Faith’s chest and Faith stroked the young girl’s hair. At least Emily hadn’t also ended up dead as a result of Amanda LaRusso’s antics; too many lives had been lost today.

The question foremost in Faith’s mind was how did Fred end up in this mess? Last she had heard, he was happy with Caroline and Charlie while working an honest job. How did he end up becoming a criminal?

Biting her lip, Faith turned and walked back the way she came; she was no good to anyone but Emily and Julliet right now, especially considering the circumstances. It was better to just stay away for the moment and let everyone else do their jobs. She would be called on to do her job soon enough  
*************************************************************************************  
Surgical Waiting Room – Angel of Mercy Hospital, New York City – Noon

Seeing a man in bloodstained scrubs coming towards the waiting room, Bosco gently shook Danielle’s shoulder and helped her to her feet. Together, they moved down the hallway to meet the surgeon.

“John came through the surgery,” the surgeon said in a calming tone, a smile on his face. “The diabetes is going to make recovery a little harder, but I have every confidence that he’ll pull through.”

Danielle smiled and held to Bosco, “When can I see him?” she asked, her heart pounding wildly.

“He’s in Recovery now,” the surgeon replied gently. “When John is moved to a regular room, a nurse will come and take you to him. For now, I’d recommend that you both take it easy.”

As the surgeon moved back down the hallway, Danielle let out a sob of relief and wrapped her arms around Bosco. Bosco sighed and gently rubbed her back as she cried all over his shirt.

For a moment, there was peace….for a moment, everything seemed like it was going to be all right.  
*******************************************************************************  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – Emergency Room/Trauma Room

The crowd quickly thinned out with the sudden presence of NYPD officers swarming into the ER; noise quickly faded and everyone slowly returned to their daily business…all except for one.

Feeling as if he were going to become violently ill, LaRusso slowly entered the room and slowly moved over to the gurney where Maggie lay, partially encased in a black body bag.

Concerned over LaRusso’s emotionally charged reaction to this event, Sully and Horatio had followed him from the exam room at a distance; they now watched as LaRusso hovered over his daughter.

“Oh, my beautiful Maggie…” LaRusso whispered as he stroked his daughter’s hair with a trembling hand.

Sully looked at Horatio, “He should be in bed and sedated,” Sully whispered, knowing that LaRusso could end up being mentally pushed over the edge by seeing his daughter’s body. “Tell him to rest.”

Horatio, however, silently walked over to where his nephew stood, “Bobby, there was nothing you could do to prevent any of this from happening,” he said in a firm tone. “I need you to talk to me, all right?”

Overwhelmed with an emotional pain he hadn’t felt since his mother had died, LaRusso cleared his throat, “This is too much,” he stated in a faint voice. “I thought….I thought she would survive.”

Horatio gently put an arm around LaRusso, “Remember what I told you years ago when your mother died, Bobby?” he asked in a gentle tone. “I told you that it wasn’t your fault, remember?”

LaRusso nodded and sniffled as tears ran freely down his tired face, “I’m so tired,” he whispered as he stroked Maggie’s lifeless hand with his shaking hand. “I-I can’t…I don’t want to leave her right now.”

Sully watched silently as Horatio and LaRusso stood over Maggie’s body; both of them in silent mourning about the young life that had been taken due to the choices of others...innocence had truly been lost.


	12. Tears and Torment

Two Days Later

Pediatrics Ward – Angel of Mercy Hospital – New York City, New York – 10 A.M.

Gazing through the window at the falling snow, Danielle sighed and crossed her arms; her dad was taking care of David and Ellie while she spent what little energy she had to see that John lived.

John was alive and had drifted in and out of consciousness for two days, but not really coherent enough to communicate; his injuries and blood sugar had been dutifully cared for through insulin and IV antibiotics.

Biting her lip, Danielle turned back to the bed where John slept; a gown covered bandages over his ribs, bandaged abdomen where his spleen had been taken and chest tubes in his lungs. John’s left arm was in a cast and sling while his right one was decorated with IV lines. A bandage covered a gash on his forehead and there was a mask over his mouth to help him breathe and he had a foley catheter in him. A clip was on his right index finger that sent readings to a machine near the bed. A large blanket covered him from the waist down to his feet.

The room was a decent size and besides a bed, it had a small hospital closet, a bathroom, a TV that hung from a corner wall near the window, and it was decorated with a rustic blue shade. Health posters and cute pictures hung on the walls and there was a huge basket of flowers on the bedside table.

“Mmh,” suddenly escaped from John’s lips as his eyes fluttered open. “So…bright...”

John’s eyes wandered and finally rested on Danielle, “Mom,” he whispered, his voice muffled by the mask over his face. “I’m sore….where am I? Why do I have this thing over my mouth?”

Danielle quietly removed the mask and put oxygen tubes in John’s nose, “I’m sorry about the mask, honey, “ she replied in a quiet voice. “The doctor wanted you to wear the mask for a couple days.”

“Where… am I?” John asked in a faint voice. “I can’t….remember….”

Taking a seat on the bedside chair, Danielle gently stroked his hair, “You’re at Angel of Mercy Hospital in New York, sweetie,” she explained in a calming tone. “Officer Wolfe and your grandpa found you.”

“New York?” John asked weakly, his face full of confusion. “I thought I was in Miami…”

Seeing that John was quickly becoming overwhelmed, Danielle gently stroked his face, “We’ll talk about it more when you’re feeling better,” she said in a gentle, yet firm tone. “How are you feeling, anyway?”

“Tired,” John replied in a groggy voice. “I just want to sleep, but I have to eat soon, don’t I?”

Before Danielle could reply, there was a knock at the door. Danielle turned and saw Grissom standing in the doorway and a few meters behind him, she could see Bosco standing there in a dress uniform.

“Mom, it’s that guy from Vegas,” John said in a weak voice, quickly recognizing Grissom. 

Danielle was silent for a minute, “Is it okay if I come in, John?” Gil asked in a gentle tone.

“Yeah,” John replied in a weak voice as he closed his eyes. “You here with the VA thing?”

Gil nodded and slowly came into the room, “I came to visit with you and your mom for a little while this morning,” he said, concerned by how bad John looked. “How are you feeling?”

“Crappy,” John replied in a faint tone, unaware that Danielle had silently left the room. “I bet they’re gonna make me eat soon, though. I hate havin’ diabetes…it makes things harder.”

Danielle quietly moved to where Bosco stood, “Amanda and Maggie LaRusso’s funeral service is today and I’m going to be there for my partner,” Bosco explained in a quiet voice. “How are things here?”

“It’s too soon to tell,” Danielle replied softly. “Why are the funerals just being held today?”

Bosco rolled his eyes, “LaRusso’s brother-in-law is an IAB sergeant in Miami and wanted to be here for his sister’s funeral,” he stated. “I have a feeling that it’s gonna get ugly at the funeral and Lieutenant Caine wanted some backup there in case Sergeant Stetler tries to harass LaRusso at all. I think some other NYPD officers are also gonna be there, just in case.”

“My dad’s looking after David and Ellie today, so I’ll be here if you wanna talk after,” Danielle replied in a soft voice as she gazed at Bosco. “John’s diabetes specialist might come by and talk to us…”

Bosco nodded, “I’ll try and come back after the services,” he replied. “Anyway, I gotta run.”

Swallowing hard, Danielle turned away and went back into the hospital room. Bosco watched as she talked with Grissom briefly and then returned to her seat at John’s bedside. She looked so tired.

A plan began to form in Bosco’s mind, but before he could even begin it, he would need to talk with Sully and get his permission to go forward. No doubt Sully was protective of his daughter and her kids.

Fighting the urge to smile, Bosco quickly walked back down the hallway towards the elevators.  
*************************************************************************  
Victims Assistance Headquarters – Miami, Florida

Ray studied the report from Emily about the unexpected deaths of Amanda and Maggie LaRusso and silently cursed; there had been leaks in the organization thanks to level-headed psychotics like Edward Addison and Bernard Marquez. Both men had connections to the diplomatic immunity of the Cruz family and also used their mountain of money to gain access to information and hard to find resources.

With all the criminals running freely, Ray knew that the MDPD would quickly become overwhelmed and despite the fact that he was supposed to be dead, he considered spiriting Yelina and Ray Jr. out of the country; it would take Horatio’s help or maybe even the help of his former partner, John Hagen.

From what he had heard from his connections in New York, Ray knew that JT Sullivan, Marisol Delko, Ellie Sullivan, and Kylie Nieto had been all found safe, but a man named Monte Parker was missing.

According to the information that Emily Wolfe had secretly sent to him, Monte Parker had assisted JT in escaping from Edward Addison and was now a lone hostage. The turn side was that JT Sullivan was the last one to see Monte alive and there was little doubt about a police interview in the near future.

Emily had also told him that Horatio was in New York, helping Bobby LaRusso deal with the abusive marriage he had tried to escape for years. Ray knew that he would have to contact Horatio soon.

From what he had heard from inside sources, Natalia was fitting in nicely at the crime lab and Ryan would officially start working for VA once his paperwork was processed. Until then, Ray had set him up with a steady job that would do little more than pay the bills; it wasn’t glamorous, but it was work.

With Rick Stetler away for a few days, Ray knew that contacting Natalia and asking her to approach John Hagen would certainly be possible, but to convince him to help a friend that was supposed to be dead.

The sudden ringing of the desk phone brought Ray out of his thoughts and with a sigh, he picked up the receiver, “…Ray?” a trembling female voice on the other end said. “Clavo Cruz is holding Madison and I hostage at the Baracan Embassy. We saw a black man in the van that brought us here…he looks bad.”

There was suddenly laughing, a scream, and a click. Ray swore and set the receiver down.

Yelina and Ray Jr. would have to wait now, as would Horatio. Ray knew that he would have to act fast and enlist the help of Ryan to rescue Suzie and Madison before Clavo Cruz did something to them.

It would take time to get things together, but Ray hoped that he wasn’t too late to save his family; it was bad enough when Bob Keaton, his middleman, had been killed, but to now put others in danger…

However, Clavo and Ramon were bad news and someone needed to finally stand up to them.  
******************************************************************************  
Plaza Hotel – Manhattan, New York City

“Mama,” a soft voice filtered into Emily’s ear as the sleeping Emily suddenly felt a hand on her arm.

Emily slowly opened her eyes and smiled at seeing Julliet sitting next to her on the bed, “Hey Juju,” Emily said in a faint voice, ignoring the pain that radiated from the bandaged area underneath the button-up shirt that Sully had lent her after the biopsy. “You climbed up here all by yourself, huh?”

Julliet nodded and giggled. Emily sighed and gently stroked Julliet’s blonde hair as they lay there.

The door suddenly opened in the next room and the sound of the key being placed on a table caused Emily to sigh, “I’m awake, Faith, don’t worry,” she said in a tired voice. “Julliet came to visit me in bed.”

There was silence and then Sully came into the room, “I’m looking after David and Ellie today, but I ran into Faith downstairs at the restaurant,” he said, a smile on his face. “She’s getting them breakfast while I check in on you. Faith mentioned that she was going to bring you something and make you eat.”

“Ugh, Sully, I don’t feel like eating,” Emily replied in a tired voice. “That anesthetic really messed me up,”

Sully sighed, “Faith told me that ever since you got out of the hospital, you’ve stuck to drinking smoothies or water,” he stated. “That’s not really going to help you feel better, you know.”

“Mama, hungry,” Julliet suddenly said in a quiet voice as she looked at Emily. “Eat?”

Emily sighed, “Sully, if you could move Julliet for me, I should get up and get her some breakfast,” she said in a groggy tone. “I should also get dressed in my dress uniform for the funeral at noon. I brought my old NYPD dress uniform, as I never got a Miami one.”

Sully came over to the bed and gently picked Julliet up, “You don’t have to go if you’re not feeling well,” he said in a concerned tone as he watched Emily slowly get out of bed. “Nobody will think less of you.”

“You know the rules better than that, Sully,” Emily replied in a tired voice. “I have to go.”

Sully nodded and watched as Emily moved over to the closet, “I'll just bew a few minutes and then we can go," Emily said in a quiet tone. "Can I have some privacy, Sully?"

"Holler if you need me," Sully replied, carefully carrying Julliet from the bedroom.

Emily sighed and unzipped a garment bag that was hanging in the closet among business shirts; she carefully removed her pajamas and quickly put on the old dress uniform.

Folding the pajamas, Emily tossed them on the bed and buttoned up the NYPD dress jacket that she had worn many times while serving under the department. Even though she wasn't an official member of the NYPD anymore, Natalia had gotten her special clearance to dress as NYPD while representing Victims Assistance in Miami. Everything had been planned out well.

"Sully, I'm ready," Emily stated in a toneless voice. "Can we go downstairs now, please?"

Sully reentered the room with Julliet in his arms, "Wow," he said, awed at how good Emily still looked in NYPD dress. "Seeing you in that sure brings back a lot of memories."

"Yeah," Emily replied softly as she moved over to the door. "Can we head out now?"

Sully nodded and offered Emily her purse, which he had gotten off the table, "I'll carry Julliet for you," he promised in a reassuring tone. "You aren't supposed to be lifting heavy stuff..."

Giving Sully a grateful smile, Emily took her purse and was silent as Sully led them into the living room and out of the hotel room. Today was bound to be a stressful day for many.  
******************************************************************************  
Calle Ocho - Miami, Florida

In the corner of a box-like cafe, Bernard sat quietly; his eyes enshrouded by sunglasses and his hair darkened with a pharmacy dye. His focus was on a sanitation truck outside.

Not on the truck itself; it was more on the man loading trash bags into the back of the truck and the identity of the man. Bernard was both surprised and amused to see Ryan there.

Of course, the fact that his OCD ex brother-in-law was fired from the Miami-Dade Crime Lab wasn't exactly public news. Rick had let him know about Ryan's firing and the aftermath.

From what Bernard knew, Edward was somewhere underground and getting a thrill out of torturing that paramedic he had kidnapped from New York. Clavo and Ramon had taken custody of Suzie and Madison Keaton in hopes of drawing Ray Caine out of hiding.

James was also tucked away in the confines of Devil's Mansion and after enjoying a nice coffee, Bernard planned to discreetly leave and spirit his son out of America for training of his own.

As the waitress brought his cup of coffee to the table, Bernard saw another sanitation worker come around and talk to Ryan with a somber facial expression. Bernard watched as Ryan nodded and moved away from the truck and into the semi-crowded cafe looking upset.

Ryan took a seat at the bar counter and wanting to get re-acquainted with his brother in law, Bernard rose, grabbed his coffee mug, and sauntered over to where Ryan was seated.

"Well, Ryan, I didn't expect to see you hauling garbage," Bernard commented in a sly voice as he sat on a stool beside Ryan. "I thought you worked for the Miami-Dade Crime Lab?"

Ryan said nothing and instead focused on staring at the counter, "If you're in a tight spot, I could help you out," Bernard continued. "However, you would have to earn your money..."

"I shook that problem a long time ago," Ryan replied coldly. "Keep your blood money."

Bernard chuckled and grabbed Ryan by the collar, "I also keep your secret, as does Rick Stetler," Bernard hissed, pulling Ryan close. "You'd better toe the line or Stetler and I can both make you wish that you were dead. I also know about your reporter girlfriend too."

"She's not my girlfriend," Ryan quietly replied. "I don't know why she follows me around."

Chuckling evilly, Bernard reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gun, causing the patrons in the freeze and stare at the two; Bernard guffawed and waved it around.

"Just so you know, Ryan, James is still alive," Bernard whispered as he pocketed the gun and crossed his arms. "However, I could always send his body to Emily as a Christmas gift."

A sudden surge of anger erupted in Ryan and he found himself socking Bernard in the jaw hard, sending his ex brother-in-law flying across the room and into an empty table.

As he stood there, breathing hard and ignoring the pain radiating from his knuckles, Ryan failed to notice that Tim and Anthony Speedle had entered the cafe for a lunch; they had caught the tail end of the argument and had seen Ryan send Bernard across the cafe.

"You will pay, Wolfe," Bernard hissed angrily, rubbing his jaw as he got to his feet. "Always keep your eyes open and your senses sharp. You and your dear sister will pay DEARLY."

Ignoring the shocked stares of the staff and patrons, Bernard swept from the restaurant.

"Can we get some ice over here?" Tim asked nobody in particular as he and Anthony hurried over to where Ryan was standing. "Ryan Wolfe, it's been a while since I've seen you."

Ryan nodded and winced as his knuckles started to bruise, "That cretin was Emily's ex-husband and he enjoys harassing both her and I a great deal. Fortunately, Emily's away."

"He's the one that kidnapped James and Julliet a few months ago, right?" Tim asked, suddenly remembering that James Wolfe was still missing and unaccounted for.

A waitress brought over an icepack wrapped in a towel just then and handed it to Tim with a worried expression on her face. Tim wrapped it around Ryan's injured hand and sighed.

"You should really report him," Tim stated, concerned. "He could retaliate."

Ryan shrugged, "I'll deal with it," he replied tonelessly as he held the icepack in place. "I have some things to do, so I'll see you around sometime. Don't tell Stetler you saw me."

"I won't tell anyone I saw you," Tim promised. "Just take care of yourself, all right?"

Ryan nodded and quietly left the restaurant. Tim moved back over to where his father was standing, talking with the manager about the altercation between Ryan and Bernard.

"...Honestly, I cannot have this sort of thing in my cafe," Anthony stated, his Cuban accent strong in his concerned tone. "I will be adding extra security as soon as possible."

Tim suddenly smiled, "Dad, I know a guy you could hire for Security here," he said as he and Anthony broke away from the manager and moved to a table. "Let me tell you about him."

"Was it the man that Bernard Marquez was harassing at the bar?" Anthony asked as he and Tim sat at a quiet table in the corner. "I thought Marquez had moved far away from here."

Tim raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Anthony sighed, "It is a story for another time and place, Timothy," Anthony stated in a firm tone. "Let us eat and enjoy our time together."

Tim nodded and picked up one of the menus on the table; he might never know how his own father seemed to know of Bernard Marquez and why his father refused to talk about it.

However, that information didn't need collecting until there was a need for the information.  
******************************************************************************  
Office - First Presbyterian Church - New York City, New York

"....Mommy?" a young boy's voice asked as he heard a gunshot come from the kitchen.

There was a scream and a crash. He got out of his bed and left the bedroom he and his mother shared. Clad only in pajamas, he crept into the kitchen and was horrified to see a masked man, clad completely in black, standing over his mother's battered body with a gun.

A pool of blood streamed out from underneath his mother's body and he watched in horror as the man caressed her face. It was then that the man noticed him standing there.

"I cannot have any witnesses," the man said, his voice thick with some sort of accent. 

Before he could do anything, the man raised the gun and fired at him twice, barely missing him; the man cursed and almost threw the gun down, but thought to try once more.

A scream erupted from his mouth and the man fired again, hitting him in the shoulder and as he fell to the ground, the man dropped the gun and fled from the apartment cursing loudly.

The young boy, Bobby LaRusso, whimpered as he crawled over to his mother and nestled as close as he could to her body. He didn't understand that she was never going to wake up again, never going to see him again, and never going to watch him grow. She was dead.

"...Bobby?" a soft masculine voice suddenly filtered into LaRusso's ear. "Bobby?"

LaRusso slowly opened his eyes and found that he was staring at a specially handcrafted ceiling and he felt something soft underneath him, despite being clad in the complete NYPD dress uniform that was required for funerals. Pain immediately filled his consciousness.

He had arrived with his uncle and immediately retreated to where he could have a moment alone before having to deal with everything. The need for sleep had overruled everything else and he had fallen asleep; shortly after, he had begun dreaming about the horrible past.

"Bobby, are you all right?" the voice asked again. "The services are starting soon..."

Gritting his teeth, LaRusso threw himself into an upright position and saw that his uncle, clad in a dark suit and tie, was standing there and they were in what looked like a church office.

"I was dreaming," LaRusso stated groggily, gazing down at his casted wrist. "It was so real."

Horatio nodded and carefully helped LaRusso put his jacket on, "Do you want the sling for your wrist or do you just want it for the dinner afterwards?" Horatio asked as he carefully buttoned up the NYPD dress jacket. "Your Aunt Yelina is looking after BJ and Adam outside."

LaRusso sighed, "Oh man, Rick's here, isn't he?" he asked, suddenly feeling a headache coming on because he would have to deal with Amanda's domineering, whiny brother today.

"He won't bother you or the boys," Horatio firmly stated. "I won't allow it."

Nodding, LaRusso slowly stood, but immediately wavered, "Woah, easy," Horatio said in a concerned tone as he grabbed LaRusso under the arms. "Did you eat this morning?"

"I was trying to get the boys ready," LaRusso replied in a monotone voice. "I guess I forgot."

Horatio sighed and eased LaRusso back into a sitting position, "I'm going to get someone to bring you some food and you'll eat before the services," Horatio stated in a firm tone. 

LaRusso nodded and slouched, resting his head against the back of the couch, "I never thought I'd have to bury my own daughter," he said in a monotone voice as he watched his uncle get on his cell-phone and ask for some food to be brought back to the office.

"Fred Yokas has already been dealt with," Horatio replied, having heard of yesterday's funeral from Detective Taylor, who had attended for the benefit of the family and the NYPD.

The door suddenly opened and Yelina entered carrying a plastic contained that held a small sandwich, a sliced apple and a small cup of apple juice. She smiled at LaRusso and Horatio.

"An Officer Boscorelli just showed up and is looking after your sons," Yelina, who was dressed in a black pantsuit with her hair tied back, said in a gentle tone as she offered the container to LaRusso. "Bobby, I am so sorry that this has happened to you and your sons."

LaRusso nodded, "I can't do this," he said in a faint voice. "I can't bury anyone else."

Without warning, LaRusso keeled over and vomited, barely missing Horatio and Yelina's shoes, but dirtying his own. Horatio frowned and immediately sat down beside his anxious nephew.

"Yelina, go and see if any medical personnel are around," Horatio stated in a concerned voice as he gently eased LaRusso back against the couch and unbuttoned his jacket's top buttons.

Yelina nodded and hurried from the room, "I'm not going to make you go out there," Horatio gently stated as he quickly undid LaRusso's tie. "I just want you to relax and breathe deep."

LaRusso nodded and swallowed hard; he opened his mouth to say something, but was secretly grateful when his uncle took his good hand and shook his head, silently telling him to relax.  
******************************************************************************  
Chapel - First Presbyterian Church - Noon  
Flowers littered the many pews, the pulpit, and the large entrance doors where many, clad in uniforms or formal filled the many pews and were all talking about the day's events.

At the front of the hall, two flower-clad coffins sat on either side of the pulpit; the left one was an adult-sized coffin and had a framed photo of Amanda Stetler-LaRusso sat on the top of it. The right coffin was child-sized and had a framed photo of Maggie on top of it.

Bosco was seated on the front right pew with BJ and Adam beside him. Stetler sat alone on the left pew, ignoring the curious stares of those who sat on the right side of the church; all of them there to support LaRusso on the loss of his only daughter.

Ty, Sasha, Brendan, Faith, Jelly, and Swersky were all clustered into the pew behind Bosco, Adam, and BJ. Kim, Joey, and Camille were in the next pew. In one of the back pews, Emily sat on the far end alone with her pain while Sully sat close to David and Ellie with Julliet in his arms; since Emily couldn't lift very much, he was fine with holding Julliet.

Jimmy, Carlos, and Grace were all lingering by the doors in their respective uniforms because they had taken time from their shifts to be there for LaRusso. Other members of the NYPD precincts and FDNY stations had also taken time off to attend the services.

Father Montlaban, an old friend of both Horatio and LaRusso, lingered at the pulpit and would occasionally gaze anxiously towards the door that led to his private office.

Suddenly, the door opened and Yelina came into the chapel; she immediately spotted Jimmy, Carlos, and Grace near the door and hurried over to them, ignoring the curious and obviously concerned stares from everyone else present for the services.

"I'm Detective Yelina Salas, Horatio's sister-in-law and Officer LaRusso's aunt," Yelina explained in a quiet voice. "Horatio asked me to come find medical workers."

Jimmy frowned, "Is everything all right?" he asked, wondering what was going on.  
"I was only asked to bring medical personnel back to the church office," Yelina replied in a quiet, yet very gentle tone. "If you had medical supplies, that would help immensely."

Grace nodded, "They're in the rig outside," she replied. "I'll go get them."

As Grace left the church, Yelina looked at Carlos, "Carlos Nieto," Carlos stated in a kind tone, extending his hand. "Grace Finney and I are paramedics with the 55 firehouse."

Yelina and Carlos shook hands and Jimmy sighed, "I'll go and let Father Montlaban know about what's going on," Jimmy stated. "I was honestly surprised LaRusso showed up."

"I'll tell Grace to go around to the back entrance so we don't make a scene," Carlos said as he moved towards the door. "LaRusso's got someone back there with him, right?"

Yelina nodded and Carlos silently left the church; she turned and suddenly noticed that Sully had moved out of his back pew and was lingering close to her.

"LaRusso had a panic attack, didn't he?" Sully whispered to Yelina, holding Julliet close as he kept an eye on Emily, David, and Ellie. "I heard he's been sick for the last day."

Again, Yelina nodded, "The death of his daughter because of his wife has been very hard on him," she replied in a whisper. "I'm glad Horatio is in New York taking care of him."

Sully nodded and the two were silent as they watched Jimmy and Father Montlaban talk quietly at the front of the church; the day was already bringing sorrow and chaos.  
*******************************************************************  
Devil's Mansion - Miami, Florida

Bernie,

Emily and Julliet are in New York attending the joint funeral of Amanda and Maggie LaRusso. Fred Yokas is also dead and he is responsible for Maggie LaRusso's death.

From what I have heard, Horatio is planning to spend the holidays in New York to help LaRusso and his sons get everything in order to move to Miami. However, Emily and Julliet Wolfe will be returning to Miami after the services without police escort.  
I will keep you posted.

Ricky

At that, Bernard scowled and shut his phone off; he had plans to deal with both Ryan and Emily later on and he had no interest in torturing Julliet, as he still had James in his care.

The plan now was to take James out of the country and meet up with special connections in Brazil that could help him more easily dominate Miami's streets. However, fleeing Miami would leave Edward alone to deal with Clavo, Ramon and their hostages.

A loud knock at the door caused Bernard to look up from the roaring fire that burned before him as he sat in a large chair with James unhappily asleep in his lap.

"Come," Bernard replied in a stern tone, hoping that the brat didn't wake up crying.

The door open and Edward entered the room holding a bat in his hand, "I thought you were torturing Monte Parker," Bernard stated cooly as he looked up at Edward.

"Monte is subdued for now," Edward replied, gazing at the sleeping James. "I didn't know you actually had more kids, Bernie. I thought you and Emily just had that brat that died."

Bernard chuckled, "There is so much you don't know about me, Eddie," he replied in a cool tone. "I suppose you want money to go back to New York to deal with JT?"

"I plan to take Monte back with me," Edward stated. "My family needs to learn a lesson."

Bernard sighed and gestured to a table that was beside the fireplace, "You may borrow what you need, but it had better be worth it," he stated cooly, watching as Edward went to the drawer and removed a pile of bills. "I expect you won't waste time vacationing."

"Of course not," Edward promised, backing away. "I will be back after Halloween."

Bernard gave a nod and motioned for Edward to leave, which he did in a swift manner.

With a sigh, Bernard continued staring at the fire; a plan was beginning to form in his mind and he knew that he couldn't possibly leave the county until he had a good plan.  
*********************************************************************  
Office - First Presbyterian Church - New York City, New York

As organ music filtered through the thin wooden walls, LaRusso winced and placed his right hand on his forehead; another headache was coming on fast and nothing was helping.

A strong pair of hands suddenly grabbed him from behind and eased him back until he could suddenly feel something soft behind his head. His uncle and the male paramedic were hovering over him with concerned expressions on their faces while the other was beside the couch.

"From what we've been able to tell, you're suffering from massive dehydration and a bit of a reaction from post traumatic stress disorder," Carlos explained, gazing down at LaRusso. "I think you'd recieve better care at the hospital, but I know that you don't want to leave right now."

LaRusso shuddered, "I can't leave BJ and Adam here by themselves," he replied, hating the very idea of being sent back to the hospital to deal with more of what Amanda had left behind.

There was suddenly a knock at the door and Stella entered the room, "Bobby LaRusso, I'm Detective Bonasera from the New York Crime Lab," he said, completely oblivious to the scene before her. "I was told that you would be here today and I need to speak with you..."

Seeing a look of alarm on LaRusso's face, Horatio scowled and moved over to Stella, "Ms. Bonasera, are you completely oblivious to the situation at hand?" he asked, blocking her view of Carlos and Grace trying to calm LaRusso down. "Did Detective Taylor authorize this visit?"

"Detective Taylor is very busy," Stella lied, not wanting to say that she had been recently suspended for unauthorized involvement in the case. "He sent me to do an interview."

Horatio swore, "Well, you're not doing one today," he replied firmly. "Leave right now or else I'll get one of the paramedics to go and get one of the officers attending the services."

"I'll be back with a warrant and authorization to take Officer LaRusso into custody if he doesn't comply," Stella stated, hoping her deception wouldn't be detected. "Have a nice day."

Gritting his teeth, Horatio took Stella by the arm and led her from the room. He closed the door in her face and turned back to where the paramedics were helping his nephew.

"I'm sending you to the hospital," Horatio stated, gazing at his nephew. "All right?"

LaRusso sighed, “I don’t know what to think anymore,” he replied. “Maybe I just need some rest.”

“I’ll make sure that someone watches your sons for you,” Horatio promised as he edged towards the door. “I’ll leave these two very nice paramedics to take care of you and I’ll see you at the hospital.”

LaRusso nodded and was quiet as Horatio left the room. Horatio, however, felt anything but calm.

With New York now making things harder, he might have to hasten the return trip to Miami.  
**********************************************************************************  
Banquet Room - Plaza Hotel - New York City, New York - 3 P.M.

The funerals had been short and sweet and LaRusso’s absence hadn’t gone unnoticed, but nearly everyone in attendance had understood LaRusso‘s situation, so nobody had made it an issue.

Bosco had stepped up, however, and had looked after BJ and Adam throughout the funeral and was now making sure that they ate at the funeral dinner; there was plenty of catered food available.

It had been Horatio’s choice to have the dinner at the Plaza; it served as a comfortable atmosphere.

Several of the NYPD and FDNY had gone out on their shifts after the funeral, but Ty, Sasha, Brendan, Faith, a recovering Captain Miller, and Swersky were all around one of the tables that had been set up for the dinner by the dutiful Plaza staff. Bosco, Adam, and BJ sat at the table closest to the food while Sully kept a low profile for Emily’s sake; he, David, Ellie, Emily, and Julliet shared a corner table. The room was abuzz with conversation and people traveling to and from the buffet.

Kim, Joey, and Camille were at another table with Jimmy, as Carlos and Grace had taken LaRusso to the hospital and Horatio had soon followed after them. Yelina sat at the same table, but didn’t make much conversation; she instead was on the phone with Ray Jr. in Miami.

In the midst of the many others who had come to pay respects, Stetler sat at the table closest to the door and didn’t draw attention to himself or his company. He was either picking at his food or deep in conversation with Stella about the Stewart Otis case. 

Stella was sharing the classified findings that the NY CSI’s had determined when Stewart’s body had shown up in New York with a gun and Monte Parker went missing. Although Monte was still missing, Stella was illegally trying to help Stetler put together a deeper investigation into Stewart‘s death.

Despite Stella’s illegal help, Stetler knew that it would take a lot more to put the case together firmly.


	13. Alliances of Love and Hate

October 28

Crime Scene Investigation Lab - Las Vegas, Nevada

Lights flashed on, revealing the perfectly ordered office and clean desk of Gil Grissom; all of his entomology projects were on counters, shelves, and in half-packed boxes A filing cabinet in the corner was full of files and locked. Pictures of various interesting locations and objects covered the transparent walls.

Gripping a set of keys in her fist, Catherine gestured Stella and Stetler into the massive office, but neither of them moved from the doorway. They were both too awed by the extravagance of Grissom’s office.

“He’s just a CSI supervisor, right?” Stetler asked as he finally moved into the office and looked around.

Catherine nodded and pushed past Stella, “Don’t ask me what stuff he’s got in here,” she said as she moved over to the filing cabinet and put a key into one of the drawers. “All I know is that he’s the one who sealed the file on JT Sullivan and hid it in his filing cabinet. The kid was his and Warrick’s responsibility and--”

“As fun as this is, Catherine, can we get down to business?” Stella asked, her tone sharp. “Let’s see what Grissom has on JT Sullivan’s time in Vegas. Might help us understand how he got back to New York.”

As she opened the drawer, Catherine smirked, “That might explain why Grissom used some of his vacation time to go there,” she said as she extracted a stuffed folder. “I can’t believe after what happened in Vegas, John Sullivan would be stupid enough to go to a high profile place like New York.”

“How exactly did you gain access to this office if Gil Grissom is away?” Stetler asked as Catherine placed the folder on the desk and opened it; he couldn’t believe that an office break-in had been this easy.

Catherine smirked, “While he’s gone, I’m temporary head of the lab and holder to all the keys,” she replied as she gestured to the open file. “If you wanted this file this badly, Rick, I could have delivered it to you.”

“All right, can we PLEASE get on with this?!” Stella snapped, aggravated by the obvious closeness between Catherine and Stetler. “JT Sullivan’s fingerprints were found on the gun that killed Stewart Otis.”

Catherine scoffed, “JT Sullivan is nothing but a psychologically troubled teenager who spent a lot of time walking the strip and sulking when he lived here with his family,” she stated, glaring at Stella and Stetler. “I didn’t meet him, but I heard from Brass that the kid liked to skip school a lot. JT was apparently around here so much that Grissom and Warrick ended up letting him volunteer as a supply runner for the lab as long as he didn‘t skip any more school. Apparently, the kid‘s mom was fine with JT being here.”

Stetler nodded and placed a hand on the file, “I’ll take this back to Miami and turn my attention to the file in Miami and whatever information there is on him in New York,” he stated as he closed the file and picked it up. “If there’s evidence that he might have killed Miami resident, I must begin a formal investigation.”

Stella growled and grabbed Stetler’s arm, “JT’s a New York resident,” she hissed. “This is MY case.”

“If your evidence is solid, this is now in Miami’s hands,” Stetler snapped, pulling his arm from her snake-like grip. “Stewart Otis was a Miami resident; hence this becomes solely a Miami investigation.”

Catherine sighed, “It might be easier to legally subpoena JT to Vegas and force him to talk,” she stated, not liking the continued tension between Stetler and Stella. “Nobody would know he’s here but us three.”

“JT Sullivan is heavily protected by his family and by Emily Wolfe,” Stella stated in an annoyed tone as she crossed her arms. “Anything we’d try to get JT to Vegas, Officer Wolfe would find some way to block it.”

Her eyes widening in shock, Catherine scowled, “I can’t believe Emily Wolfe is still working within the realm of law enforcement and citizen protection,” she hissed. “She’s nothing but a thorn to CSI’s.”  
“Settle down, Catherine, it’s nothing to worry about,” Stetler suddenly cut in, not fully comfortable with the fact that Catherine held such a grudge against Emily. “Once I get back to New York and establish an alibi with my relatives for being gone, I will personally file paperwork that brings JT Sullivan back to Miami. I need to talk to my brother-in-law first about some stuff, though; so it will be a while before the paperwork’s done.”

Shaking his head at Stella, Stetler tucked the file under his arm and smiling at Catherine, he silently left the office. Stella glared at Catherine; Stetler was obviously not interested in doing things any way but legally.

“We should just go to New York and kidnap that brat from his hospital room,” Stella scoffed indignantly.

Catherine shook her head, “Stick with the plan,” she replied in a worried tone. “Edward expects you to.”

“He expects US to,” Stella replied in a small voice. “Do you think Lindsay is safe, Catherine?”

Catherine bit her lip, “He would only say that she was alive in Brazil,” she replied, suddenly regaining her composure. “Just see where JT and his family live. The hospital’s bound to release him very soon.”

“I hope things get better for you,” Stella replied, smiling at Catherine. “I’ll keep in touch from New York.”

Catherine nodded and as Stella left, she turned off the lights and quickly left Grissom’s darkened office.

As Catherine locked the door, she was unaware that Warrick had been hovering nearby and had overheard her conversation with Stella. He had then retreated to his office and was now making a phone call.  
**********************************************************************************  
Pediatrics Ward - Angel of Mercy Hospital - New York City, New York

“Danielle?”

Danielle looked up from her seat at John’s bedside and saw Emily gesturing to the door where Holly and a nervous looking Tommy were lingering; both of them were looking at John, who was asleep in bed.

“It’s okay, Emily, they’re friends,” Danielle replied, smiling at them. “Holly, Tommy, do come in.”

Holly nodded and placing a protective arm around Tommy, she led him into the room, “Sorry about making you nervous, but one can never be too careful,” Danielle stated. “Emily Wolfe, this is Holly Nieto and Tommy Lauren. Tommy is a friend of John’s and Holly works at the 55 firehouse as a paramedic.

“Actually, I quit FDNY to be a full time mom,” Holly stated, smiling. “I need to be there for my kids more. Carlos is working with Grace now, so I don’t have to worry about him as much, because she does.”

Tommy wasn’t listening; he was looking at the sleeping John and his injuries, “If you want to talk to John, let me wake him up first, okay?” Danielle said, knowing that a visit from a friend would mean a lot to John. “If anyone else but me tries to wake him, he reacts badly and I don’t want you to be scared off.”

Tommy nodded, “John, honey, can you wake up for a moment?” Danielle asked in a soothing voice as she gently squeezed John’s good hand. “Holly Nieto brought Tommy to visit you while Kylie’s in school.”

There was silence for a moment and John suddenly let out a quiet mean as he opened his eyes, “Hey,” he said in a tired voice as he gazed at Holly and Tommy. “I didn’t think you’d wanna visit me after---”

“Dude, I’ve been your best friend since you moved here,” Tommy replied, as he had been briefly told by Carlos about what John had been through during his abduction. “Of course I want to visit you.”

John looked relieved at that comment, “Thanks,” he replied softly. “That means a lot to know.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Tommy replied, gazing at all the stuff John was hooked to. “They sure have you hooked up to a lot of crap, JT. They grooming ya for lab experiments or something, man?”

Holly and Danielle gaped at Tommy for a moment, both of them in shock at what he had just said; Emily merely smiled and focused her attention on Julliet. It was better if she didn’t make her presence obvious.

John suddenly grinned and chuckled, “Naw, I’m thinking of going for the ‘Hospital Decoration of the Year Award’,” he replied in a warmer tone. “I just borrowed a bunch of stuff from the hospital and I’m laying here so that the hot nurses will take pity on me and smother me with attention. Pretty cool plan, huh?”

Danielle and Holly suddenly couldn’t take it anymore and burst into amused giggles, “So, Tommy, you wanna sign the cast on my arm?” John asked, immensely relieved that he was still able to make jokes.

Tommy nodded and grabbed a black marker off the portable table; he moved closer to the bed and uncapping the marker, he carefully doodled on the part of the cast closest to John’s hand.

“Tommy, when I’m better, can we skip school and go see where Smartie’s buried?” John suddenly asked in a tired voice, not caring if his mother or Holly reacted. “I know it’s a weird question, but---”

Tommy nodded and opened his mouth to reply, but Holly beat him to it, “When John is better, Tommy, I will write you an excuse note so you can go do that,” she said in a firm tone, quickly gazing at Danielle.

“When you’re well enough, John, I’d be more than happy to do that for you as well,” Danielle replied, knowing how much ‘Smartie’ had meant to John. “What did Tommy write on your cast? Can I see?”

Before John could reply, approaching footsteps could be heard, “John Sullivan?” 

Danielle turned just in time to see a man dressed in a suit with a badge attached to his belt enter the room and walk over to the bed, “I’m Detective Flack from the New York Crime Lab,” Flack stated, oblivious to the fact that Holly, Tommy, Danielle, Emily, or Julliet were there. “I’d like to ask you some questions.”

The look on John’s face turned to one of sheer terror, “Holly, Tommy, run to the nurse’s station and see if a man named Gil Grissom is there,” Danielle whispered to Holly. “Tel Gil to come to John’s room quickly.”

Nodding, Holly put her arm around Tommy and quickly led him from the room, “Excuse me, Detective Flack, as the Victims Assistance representative for John Sullivan, I forbid you to talk to him,” Emily stated as she rose, pulled her badge from her pants pocket, and showed it to him. “VA outranks NYPD or CSI.”

Flack scoffed, “Go back to Miami, Wolfe,” he hissed. “Now, Mr. Sullivan, your fingerprints were found on the gun that killed Stewart Otis. Was there a specific reason you did it, or was it just a for fun thing?”

All the color drained from John’s face, “What?” he asked in a faint whisper. “I didn’t do that---”

“Evidence says otherwise,” Flack stated in a blunt tone. “Now, tell me your side of the story.”

“I can’t remember anything since that guy shoved me into the trunk of his car,” John replied in a weak voice, suddenly feeling very scared and wanting to run away. “I can’t remember getting back here…”

Flack scoffed, “Oh, come on,” he snapped. “This will be so much easier if you be honest with me, JT.”

“I really can’t remember!” John replied in a rising voice as he tried to pull away from Flack.

Flack sighed and crossed his arms, “Look, John, if you did it to try and stop that animal from raping you, just tell me,” he stated in a frustrated tone. “You’ll probably get off with a justifiable homicide charge.”

“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” John suddenly yelled as he gripped the far bedrail for support; he wanted nothing more than to run away from his inability to remember. “Mom, make him go away…PLEASE!”  
Before Danielle could react, however, Emily got in Flack’s face, “Excuse me.” Emily snapped, giving Flack a murderous look as she began shunting him from the room. “Did I not tell you to leave?”

Flack bit his lip, but both he and Emily were suddenly distracted by the sound of retching, “I-I c-can’t b-breathe, M-Mom,” John’s faint voice suddenly spoke as he keeled forward and puked again.

While Emily shunted Flack into the hallway, Danielle quickly pressed the nurse’s button above the bed and then carefully removed the puke-stained blanket from the bed; she noticed that Julliet looked very sad at the sight of John’s badly bruised, thin, and very pale legs. John, however, didn’t notice Julliet watching him.

“Oh man, I puked all over the blanket and myself,” John suddenly spoke in a faint voice, not looking Danielle in the eye because he was embarrassed about his loss of control. “Mom, my chest hurts.”

Danielle nodded, but, before she could reply, a Peds nurse arrived looking rather flustered, “I just passed Officer Wolfe yelling at some guy in the hallway near the nurse’s station,” the nurse said in a worried tone, suddenly noticing the blanket and John’s deteriorated condition. “What happened in here?”

John looked up at the nurse, “I kinda got sick on the bed and my chest hurts,” he replied in a tired voice.

Emily suddenly came back into the room, “Gil’s talking with the guy now,” she replied, suddenly seeing that a nurse was there to tend to John. “Oh, excuse me. If you want, I can take Julliet out for a bit.”

Danielle nodded, “I’ll be out in the hall,” Emily promised as she moved to Julliet and picked her up.

Swallowing hard, Emily carried Julliet from the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

Down the hall, she could see Grissom in Flack’s face, talking to him in a very quiet tone that was obviously full of anger; the look in his eyes made it clear to Emily that he wasn’t happy about Flack harassing John.

As Emily approached the two, a cell-phone that was clipped to Grissom’s belt suddenly started buzzing, “Excuse me a moment,” Gil said as he took the phone off his belt and looked at it. “Get out of here, Flack.”

Scowling, Flack nodded and walked off towards the elevators. As Grissom talked on the phone, Emily held Julliet close and walked back towards John’s hospital room to be there whenever the nurse was done.  
***********  
LaRusso Household

A somber mood had long settled over the house and even the sound of children playing did not lift it.

The funeral and dinner had run fairly smoothly, but Horatio had only heard that from Yelina; he had been at Mercy Hospital taking care of his overstressed and over exhausted nephew while doctors observed.

Bosco and Yelina had taken care of Adam and BJ for the duration of the service and had taken them home after the funeral, ensuring that they were too occupied to worry about their father. Horatio had brought LaRusso home from the hospital later that night and had sent him straight to bed for a needed rest.

With the help of his Uncle Horatio and Aunt Yelina, LaRusso had found that he was able to be a father to his sons, but had found himself unable to even think about going back to work; it was too draining on him.

His uncle had taken Adam and BJ to school, so LaRusso found himself alone in the house for the first time ever in his life; he sat alone on the living room sofa, too numb and exhausted to do anything useful.

LaRusso closed his eyes warily; he had to rest before he trudged up the stairs to Maggie’s room or else he would never be able to pack up all of her belongings for storage. Every part of his body was sore and tired.

The sudden ringing of the kitchen phone prompted LaRusso to open his eyes, but before he could haul his tired body off the couch, he heard footsteps and a click; had someone broken into his house somehow?

“This is Officer Boscorelli,” a gruff, yet very familiar voice suddenly said. “Who is this, Bed-Stuy IAB?”

There was a moment of silence, “Look, Officer LaRusso is unavailable for any conversations right now,” LaRusso heard Bosco snap in a loud voice. “I’ll give him whatever message you want to give him.”

LaRusso silently listened as Bosco muttered under his breath, “…Yeah, yeah, I’ll tell him,” Bosco stated in an annoyed voice. “I’m sure his uncle will want to hear about it too. All right, fine….Good bye.”

“Boscorelli, what are you doing here?” LaRusso mumbled in a weak voice as he heard Bosco hang up.

There was silence and Bosco came into the living room dressed in his uniform, “I don’t have work until three and I thought I’d drop by,” he said in a gentle tone. “Did your uncle take your boys to school?”

“Yeah, he and my Aunt Yelina must have,” LaRusso weakly replied. “I didn’t realize it was that late.”

LaRusso made to sit up, but Bosco shook his head, “Your uncle actually called me to come over and keep you company while he took your boys to school,” Bosco explained. “I got strict orders not to let you move from that couch until you have something to eat and drink. I’m making something for you right now.”

“Uncle Horatio’s pretty persistent,” LaRusso replied in a tired voice. “That was IAB on the phone, right?”

Bosco sighed, “Yeah,” he replied in a solemn voice. “They’re scheduling a meeting for November.”

“Great, I barely just put my wife and daughter in the ground and IAB is already bugging me,” LaRusso muttered in a groggy voice, wincing as his casted wrist throbbed. “I just want to be done with all this.”

Bosco nodded and moved back into the kitchen; a moment later, he returned with a plate filled with a fork, two pieces of whole wheat toast, a small pile of scrambled eggs, half of a muffin, and a small bowl of yogurt with a spoon in it. LaRusso sighed, but stayed quiet as Bosco sat down on the couch with the tray.  
“I can’t eat all that,” LaRusso stated weakly as Bosco put some eggs on the fork and held it up for him.

Giving LaRusso a glare, Bosco sighed, “Your uncle says he’s gonna put you back in the hospital if you don’t start taking care of yourself,” he said in a stern tone. “You have your sons to think of now.”

LaRusso sighed and opened his mouth, allowing Bosco to feed him; strength could now be found in unity.

"Ya know, Bobby, I was thinking about asking Danielle to marry me sometime soon," Bosco said as he continued to feed his sick partner breakfast. "I even went by a jewelery store and picked out a ring."

There was silence for the next fifteen minutes as LaRusso finished off his breakfast, "I didn't realize that I could eat that much in one sitting," he said in an awed tone as Bosco stood and took the plate away. "Did you ask Sully for his permission yet or are you just gonna elope with her to Vegas?"

"Sully and Danielle's kids would kill me if I did that," Bosco replied from the kitchen. "Besides, with John in the hospital and everything the way it is right now, I'm only thinking about it. It's a big decision to make."

LaRusso nodded and as he listened to Bosco rummage around in the kitchen, he allowed his eyes to close.  
******************************************************************************  
Calle Ocho - Miami, Florida

Ryan lingered alone in an alleyway, his heart pounding and his body shaking with fear about what he was doing. Ray had sent him a private text message about the need for an immediate meeting in a private place.

The alley was next to Anthony Speedle's cafe and after Ray talked with him, Ryan was planning to go in and ask about the Security job that Tim had mentioned during their last gun cleaning session. Ryan had to step up since Emily would soon need cancer treatments.

A time and place for the meeting had been set, Ryan thought as he checked his watched and suddenly realized that Ray was late. That was unusual, as Ray had NEVER been late before.

There were footsteps and Ryan suddenly felt a gun being pressed into his back, "If you're looking for Ray, he's not coming," Bernard's icy voice whispered in Ryan's ear. "He's busy."

"What do you want?" Ryan hissed, the hate for his ex-brother-in-law obvious in his tone.

Bernard chuckled, "I know that nobody at the CSI lab will give you the time of day anymore, so you turned to Ray Caine for help in desperation," he said in a cool voice. "I know you know where Ray is hiding and you are going to help me bring him into the open."

Ryan shook his head, "Screw off," he replied cooly as he stepped away from the gun. 

Bernard grabbed Ryan's arm and pulled him close, "Say goodnight, Ryan," he said in a rough voice as he twisted Ryan's arm behind his back. "You'll be a part of this no matter what; even in death."

As Bernard threw Ryan against the wall headfirst, a car pulled up outside of the alley and Natalia quickly got out of the car. She entered the alley with her gun drawn and pointed it at Bernard.

"That's far enough," Natalia hissed, grateful that Ray had secretly planted a surveillance device on Ryan the last time they had met. "You try anything and I'll put a bullet through your head."

Bernard hooted, but backed off as Ryan fell over and passed out, "This isn't over," Bernard hissed as he backed off down the alley towards a motorcycle in the shadows. "Watch your back."

Cackling, Bernard hopped on the bike and revved the engine. As he drove away, Natalia moved over to where Ryan was laying on the ground. A small photo of Bernard holding a little boy in a blue jumper was on the ground; Bernard must have dropped in his hasty exit from the scene, Natalia thought.

Natalia's eyes widened; James Speedle was still alive and this photo was proof of that.

Unfortunately, with Stetler and the Baracan Embassy keeping a sharp eye on the lab, Natalia knew that she couldn't just take Ryan to the lab for processing and an interview. She could, however, take the photo into evidence and do an underground investigation.

Natalia quickly gloved up, collected the evidence, and sealed it an envelope; she had been on her way to work at the lab when Ryan's surveillance device had alerted her, so she had her CSI kit and it would be easy enough to hide until she could work on this case alone.

After checking to ensure that Ryan was still breathing, Natalia quickly moved to her car and secured the evidence inside. She then locked the car and moved into the restaurant.

"Someone help!" Natalia yelled, making her voice sound as afraid as possible to keep her cover.  
Having heard Natalia's yelling, Anthony came out of the kitchen, "I was driving by and I saw an altercation between two men," she said as she hurried outside with him at her heels. "By the time I parked, there was only one man left. He's lying in the alley unconscious."

Much to Natalia's relief, Ryan was still there as she and Anthony entered the alley and walked over to where he was laying. Anthony frowned when he saw that it was Ryan.

Thunder suddenly rumbled overhead, "Miss, will you please help me carry him into my restaurant staff room where he can rest?" Anthony asked in a concerned tone. "We can call the police and ambulance from there. I don't want him to be out here alone and helpless."

As Anthony knelt down to lift Ryan up, Ryan suddenly opened his eyes and froze at seeing Anthony and Natalia standing over him. Intense fear filled his heart and he tensed up.

"It's all right, we're trying to help you," Anthony said in a calming voice. "Can you sit up?"

Still feeling groggy from being roughed up, Ryan winced and sat up, leaning against the wall for support. 

“Don’t tell anyone,” Ryan whispered, giving Natalia a look of sheer horror. “This was an accident.”

Anthony looked concerned at Ryan’s obvious fear, but said nothing. “I just want to go home,” Ryan said in a groggy voice as he tried to move the hand that Bernard had grabbed. “I need to clean the place.”

“You need the hospital,” Anthony replied in a gentle tone. “I can call my son, Tim. He’s off today.”

Ryan shook his head, but immediately winced, “I think I hit my head when I was knocked into the wall,” 

“Okay, I’m taking you to the hospital,” Natalia said in a worried tone. “You could have a concussion.”

Ryan slowly got to his feet with the help of his good hand, “If you’re seen with me, Stetler will find out and I don’t want that,” he said in a firm voice. “I’ll take a cab to a hospital where I’m not known.”

“Ryan, your sister would not want you to be irresponsible,” Anthony stated as he walked over to Ryan and put a reassuring arm around Ryan’s shoulder. “I will take you to a hospital myself.”

Natalia opened her mouth to protest, but her beeper suddenly went off, “It’s the lab,” she said in an apologetic tone as she checked it. “I won’t tell anyone I saw you here, but please be safe, okay?”

Ryan nodded reluctantly, “Come, my car is behind the restaurant,” Anthony said as he took the younger man’s uninjured arm. “Thank you for assisting Emily’s brother, ma’am. You have an excellent day.”

Natalia nodded and watched as Anthony led Ryan down the alley and around the corner. She was confused as to how Anthony knew Ryan, as only Emily had been a foster kid of the Speedle family.

Making a mental note to keep an eye on Ryan from a distance, Natalia returned to her car and quickly got behind the wheel. It was better to get away from this place before anyone saw her there.

As she drove, Natalia also knew that she had to talk to Ray about reshuffling the organization once Emily Wolfe returned from New York. Because of the threat that Bernard Marquez, Edward Addison, and the Cruz brothers posed to the VA network, roles would have to be changed and confidentiality increased.

Regretfully, Natalia knew that she would have to spend less time as an open VA contact and more time behind the scenes while working at CSI. Rick Stetler would have her head on a platter otherwise.  
Devil’s Mansion – Miami, Florida

Nearly an hour later, Bernard found himself seated in a chair in his suite within the mansion with James asleep in a small drawer at his feet. Anger seethed in Bernard’s heart about Natalia’s meddling.

His fingers caressed a small cordless phone that he had bought recently; it was Emily’s fault that a beauty like Natalia Boa Vista was even involved with Victims Assistance. It was tempting to phone Emily and make her have nightmares, but it was easier to send her a clearer message through Edward.

Watching as James suddenly woke and squirmed helplessly in the drawer, Bernard quickly dialed the contact number that Edward had left him. When there were four rings and no answer, Bernard swore silently and rose from his chair. No doubt that Edward was enjoying Manhattan a little too much.

Casting a glance at James, Bernard left the room and walked down the hallway to the suite where he had stashed Suzie and Madison. Clavo and Ramon couldn’t be trusted to keep quiet about anything with their level of fame in Miami being so high, Bernard had reasoned, which is why the two were here.

Of course, since Clavo spent most of his time either partying or keeping a close eye on Rick, Ramon was the one who spent most of his time at the mansion ensuring Suzie and Madison behaved themselves.

“Ramon!” Bernard hissed as he knocked on the door to the suite. “Come out here NOW!”

There was a gasp and Ramon quickly came out of the room, “I’m not doing anything but talking to them, Bernie, I swear,” he said in a sincere voice as he closed the door behind him. “They’re just scared.”

“Eddie’s not responding to my calls,” Bernard stated, ignoring Ramon’s plea. “He swore that he was going to New York to deal with his bratty son, but I think he’s enjoying the city a little too much.”

Ramon nodded, but remained silent, “I need you to do me a favor,” Bernard hissed. “I want you to go to New York and tell Edward help you deliver a message to my dear ex-wife; an unforgettable one.”

“Emily’s busy dealing with that Sullivan kid,” Ramon replied. “She’s got too much protection.”

Bernard was silent for a moment, “Seek out and talk to Stella Bonasera of the crime lab when you get to New York,” he stated in a strict voice. “She is involved with Ricky and a woman named Catherine Willows in trying to gain access to JT Sullivan. I have no interest in going after JT Sullivan, but my ex-wife is choosing to spend her time protecting him and in the process, she has increased my hate for her.”

“You’re just mad that she managed to escape LA with the help of that Jesse Cardoza guy,” Ramon hooted, secretly amused that Emily had long ago slipped away from Bernard’s grasp despite his strenuous efforts to control her. “Jesse didn’t nail you for the death of Jenna, though.”

Bernard’s eyes suddenly widened in anger and he slapped Ramon, “You NEVER mention that name to me again, do you understand?” he hissed in a tone of fury. “That happened a VERY long time ago.”

Ramon nodded, “Now get out of here and on the next plane to New York,” Bernard hissed as he stepped away from the terrified man. “You screw up and I WILL make your life an eternal misery.”

As Ramon ran off, Bernard sighed and returned to his room; the energy expended in dealing with Ramon had been great and he was now exhausted. His time was limited, but he could make the most of it.

Once back in his room with the door closed, Bernard sat back down in his chair and took a small bottle of pills out of his pocket. He took one out of the bottle, put it under his tongue, and sighed deeply.  
Rush Hospital – Miami, Florida

Marisol,

New York is lovely, but each day passing is a reminder that I am coming closer to the time when I will have to balance cancer treatment with raising my daughter. In all the work that I have done, I focus on others and seeing to their happiness, putting my own aside. Now is coming the time where I will have to be less open to others and tend more to my own needs. I just worry for the safety of my family…

Emily

Marisol sighed and typed out a quick reply before placing the Blackberry back in her purse and watching as the nurse removed the IV that had given her a dose of chemotherapy. She would be well enough to have Eric take her home, but she would probably be sick later that evening because of the chemo.

Fortunately for her, Marisol thought as the nurse placed a bandage over the site, she was living with Eric and he would be able to help her if she needed it. Ever since she had been rescued, Marisol knew that Eric kept a closer eye on her and for that, Marisol was truly grateful.

As the nurse moved away, Marisol saw Eric enter the room with a smile on his face, “Sorry I’m late, Mari,” he said in a gentle voice as he walked over to her. “Stetler was visiting the lab today.”

“That’s okay,” Marisol replied, smiling as she got to her feet and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go.”

Eric nodded and put an arm around Marisol as they walked out of the Oncology suite; they were silent during the walk and the elevator ride downstairs. Both were tired from the day and needed rest.

“My car’s just in the parking lot outside the ambulance bay,” Eric said in a gentle tone as the elevator stopped at the Emergency Room floor. “I had to say that I was going out on a call to come get you.”

Marisol and Eric quietly walked into the ER and both of them immediately froze when they saw an older man with Ryan in one of the treatment rooms that was separated from the rest of the ER by see-through glass and a door. A doctor and nurse were also in the room; the doctor was gesturing to an x-ray on the wall while a nurse hooked an IV to Ryan’s right arm. A look of discomfort was on Ryan’s face and although he was still wearing his pants, his shirt was on the floor and he wore a hospital gown.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire, Delko,” a male voice suddenly drawled from across the room.

Eric turned and saw Tripp walking into the ER with a scowl on his face, “A Doctor Loman called an assault into the PD and Stetler told me to deal with it,” Tripp said in an annoyed voice. “I thought you had a callout somewhere. What are you doing at the hospital with a pretty girl on your arm?”

“This is my sister, Frank,” Eric replied, grinning. “What’s Wolfe doing at the hospital, though?”

Before Tripp could comment, the door suddenly opened and Dr. Loman poked his head out, “Ah, Detective Tripp, Sergeant Stetler notified me that you were coming,” Dr. Loman said in an official voice, purposely ignoring Eric and Marisol. “The patient is refusing to talk, however.”

Tripp sighed and nodded, “Let Ryan know I’ll be out here in case he changes his mind,” he said in a sympathetic tone as he moved away from the door. “I never saw you here, Delko. Got it?”

Eric turned to Marisol, who was frowning as she watched Ryan talk to the doctor with a worried expression on his face. Ryan said a few words, shook his head, and looked at the floor.

“That’s Speedle’s dad,” Eric stated in a low voice, suddenly recognizing the older man. 

Unfortunately, the spying was cut short as the nurse pulled the curtain around the exam bed and the doctor moved towards the door. As Dr. Loman exited the room, he frowned at the two new observers.

“Detective Tripp, if I might have a word,” Dr. Loman said in a no-nonsense tone to Frank, who nodded.

As Frank walked off with Dr. Loman, Eric and Marisol continued walking off towards the exit; seeing Ryan being treated in the ER was concerning. While Marisol made a mental note to text Emily about what she had seen, Eric was planning to talk to Speedle later about it and if there was a reason for it.

LaRusso Household – New York, New York

The sound of the microwave beeping woke LaRusso with a start. He immediately realized that he was lying on a large, but very soft pillow, his legs were propped up on the arm of the couch, and a large blanket covered him from the neck down. There were also sounds of movement in the kitchen.

“Bosco?” LaRusso asked as he pulled himself into a sitting position using his good arm. “Bosco?”

There was a small clink and to LaRusso’s shock, Horatio walked into the living room, “Officer Boscorelli had to leave, so he called me,” Horatio explained in a gentle voice. “How are you feeling?”

Overexhausted, LaRusso merely lowered his head to hide his tired eyes, “If you’re worried about your boys, Bobby, don’t be,” Horatio stated in a gentle tone. “Aunt Yelina is keeping an eye on them there.”

“Good,” LaRusso replied in a tired voice as he lifted his head. “I’m feeling pretty yucky, actually.”

Horatio nodded, “Well, Bobby, I’d like you to be a little stronger before you tried to bathe yourself again, but I could wash your hair in the sink if you’d like,” he offered. “It might help you feel better.”  
“That sounds like a good idea,” LaRusso replied softly as he swung his legs over and sat up straight.

Horatio offered his hand and taking it, LaRusso slowly stood up, “Come on,” Horatio gently encouraged.

LaRusso silently allowed Horatio to lead him into the kitchen, allowing himself a small smile when he saw a high seated chair had been backed up against the kitchen sink. Horatio smiled at seeing that.

“You were six years old and you had just come to live with me,” Horatio stated as he led LaRusso over to the chair and sat him down. “Because of your shoulder, you couldn’t have any baths or showers, but you hated being dirty. I finally got you to sit at the sink and I washed your hair in the sink…”

LaRusso sighed, “I ended up falling asleep while you washed my hair,” he replied in a tired voice as he suddenly heard the water being turned on. “I don’t know where the shampoo is, Uncle Horatio.”

“Your aunt found some under the sink last night when she was cleaning up the supper dishes,” Horatio replied in a gentle voice as he detached the spray hose and got water running out of it. “Lean back.”

Taking a deep breath to relax, LaRusso obeyed and immediately felt water on his hair and forehead, along with his uncle’s gentle’s hands as shampoo was rubbed through his messy hair. As his hair was again rinsed, LaRusso suddenly felt very sleepy and closed his eyes to allow himself more rest.

Silence reigned for what seemed like an eternity and the ringing of the phone brought LaRusso back into awareness rather quickly. “Hello?” he suddenly heard his uncle say. “Yes, this is Lieutenant Caine.”

“…Slow down, Miss Wolfe, and tell me again,” LaRusso heard his uncle say as he opened his eyes.

LaRusso watched the expression on his uncle’s face change from calm to concerned, “…Keep an eye on the situation and I will be there as soon as I can,” Horatio stated firmly. “Good bye, Miss Wolfe.”

“Uncle Horatio, what’s wrong?” LaRusso asked as he watched his uncle look upset.

Horatio sighed and placing the phone down, he gently wrapped a small towel around LaRusso’s hair before moving back to put the shampoo away. “That was Emily Wolfe at the hospital,” he explained in a concerned voice. “Apparently, a Detective Flack dropped by the hospital and tried to interview John Sullivan about his part in the whole situation in Miami. It turned sour fast and Emily kicked him out.”

LaRusso frowned, but stayed quiet. “Emily wants me to come to Mercy and listen to something that Grissom found out from one of his Las Vegas colleagues,” Horatio stated in a concerned voice as he frowned at LaRusso. “I want to hear this plan, but I don’t feel right about leaving you alone.”

“We can take my car and I can sleep in the car while you go hear this plan,” LaRusso suggested in a gentle voice, knowing that his uncle needed to do the work he was trained to do. “I’ll be okay there.”

Horatio nodded, “I’ll help you with your hair and then we’ll go,” he replied in a reassuring voice.

LaRusso nodded, “I’m assuming someone is going to get in touch with Bosco and John Sullivan’s grandfather about the situation?” he asked in a worried voice. “They both care about John a lot.”

“I’m sure someone did, Bobby,” Horatio replied calmly. “I just hope that everything is okay with John.”


	14. Shadows of Time

Central Park – New York, New York

“Bosco, don’t you have to work at three?” Sully asked in a confused tone as he sat on a comfortable bench, watching as Bosco paced back and forth in front of him in civvies. “I thought you were going to stay at LaRusso’s and help Lieutenant Caine until you went to work. Why did you call me away from cleaning up Danielle’s house?”

Bosco was silent for what seemed like an eternity and, reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small box and handed it to Sully with a nervous look on his face. Sully took the box and opened it, revealing a tiny diamond ring.

“Aw, Bosco, it looks a little small for my hand,” Sully stated in a joking tone as he showed the ring to Bosco.

Bosco made a face at Sully and snatched the box back, “I want permission to propose to Danielle, Sul,” he said in a serious tone as he closed the box and returned it to his jacket pocket. “I love both her and her kids a lot and I want to do that for the rest of the time that I’m on this poor excuse for a planet. I’d rather die than hurt any of them.”

“Bosco, I trust you immensely, but Edward used those words on me way back when he was trying to make Danielle an honest woman and be part of John’s life,” Sully replied in a solemn tone. “Edward acted so sincere that even I believed him and encouraged Danielle to marry him. When Edward was finally exposed by Doc as a child molester and narcissistic sadist, I felt so horrible that I had fallen for his routine. Danielle didn’t get angry at me, though.”

At the mention of Doc, Bosco winced, “Speaking of Doc, has anyone found him yet?” he asked in a worried voice.

“Nope,” Sully replied in a solemn tone. “I just hope that wherever Doc is, he’s still alive. I talked with Swersky the other day and he’s part of the task force that was specifically created to find Doc; both New York and Miami are supposed to be searching everywhere they can, but Miami is not cooperating. Since Lieutenant Caine is in currently in New York, I assume that someone else in Miami is pulling the strings and making it difficult to find Doc.”

Bosco sighed, but before he could reply, he noticed Holly, Tommy, and a uniformed Carlos walking across the park together, all of them deep in conversation. Bosco frowned; Holly and Tommy were supposed to be visiting John.

“Sully, I thought Holly and Tommy were visiting John at the hospital,” Bosco asked as he watched Holly put a protective arm around Tommy as she talked to Carlos. “What are they doing in the park with Carlos?”

Sully frowned and looked in the same direction as Bosco was looking. However, before he could comment, Sully’s cell-phone went off. Cursing under his breath, Sully pulled the phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear.

“…Danielle?” Sully asked as he heard an angry voice on the other end. “…Slow down….what happened?”

Bosco frowned, but silently watched as Sully nodded, “…Okay, Bosco and I are coming to the hospital right now,” Sully said in a calming voice. “Just get John to calm down and tell him to get back in bed…I love you too. Bye.”

With a sigh, Sully put the phone away, “The New York Homicide Department wants to peg the murder of a Miami pedophile on John because his fingerprints were found on the murder weapon,” he explained, feeling heartsick at the look of outrage on Bosco’s face. “Some guy named Detective Flack showed up at Mercy and interrogated John in his hospital room to the point where John suffered a panic attack. Fortunately, Emily Wolfe kicked Detective Flack out of the room before it got completely out of control. Unfortunately, she’s now called a meeting AT the hospital.”

“What are we waiting for?” Bosco said in an anxious tone. “Let’s go to Mercy already.”

Sully stood up, but didn’t move, “You have my permission to propose to Danielle if you really want to,” he stated in a sincere tone. “You’ve grown a lot since your time in the hospital and I’d be honored to have you as a son-in-law.”

“Thanks,” Bosco replied in a toneless voice; inside, he was truly moved about Sully’s compliment.

Sully nodded and the two men moved across the park, back towards Mercy Hospital, as fast as they could.  
***********************  
Rush Hospital – Miami, Florida

Ignoring the curious stares he was getting from doctors, nurses, and patients alike, Tim strode into the emergency room and looked around. He could see many patients, but no sign of Ryan. Had Delko been pulling his leg?

As Tim was about to turn around and walk out, he saw a doctor lead his father and Ryan out of an exam room near the far end of the hallway. Ryan looked very nervous and his left wrist was in a cast and shoulder sling.

“Oh no,” Tim suddenly heard Ryan say as their gazes met. “Mr. Speedle, Delko’s been telling the CSI’s…”

Tim watched as his father turned to Ryan and whispered something. “Timothy, what brings you here?” Anthony asked in a worried tone as he put an arm around Ryan and led him over to Tim. “Is this official business?”

“Delko called me and said that Ryan had been in a fight,” Tim replied in a concerned voice as he suddenly noticed the bruising on the side of Ryan’s face. “My concern is completely off the record. What exactly happened?”

Ryan sighed and looked at Anthony, who nodded reassuringly. “I was doing some shopping in Calle Ocho and Bernard ambushed me,” Ryan said in a tired voice. “Doctor Loman tried to admit me for overnight observation, but I don’t want to stay in the hospital. Your dad said that he’d drive me home so I could rest.”

“People shouldn’t be left alone for at least 24 hours after a concussion,” Tim said in a worried voice.

Ryan suddenly looked upset and backed away, “Look, I’m FINE,” he hissed in an anxious voice. “I don’t need a babysitter and I definitely do not need CSI or the MDPD trying to hunt me down and wrecking my life more than they already have. I have a lot to take care of before Emily and Julliet get home from New York, so goodbye.”

Before Anthony or Tim could stop him, Ryan stormed off down the hallway towards the exit as fast as he could.

Anthony and Tim looked at each other, both of them shocked and concerned about Ryan’s behavior. What they didn’t know, however, was that Ryan’s outburst wasn’t the worst thing that they were going to have to endure.  
**************************************  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – New York, New York

Nearly an hour after he got the call, Horatio walked off the elevator and on to the Peds floor. He could see Emily, Julliet, Officer Boscorelli, and Sully gathered outside of a closed door at the far end of the long hallway.

“Miss Wolfe, where’s Mr. Grissom and Miss Sullivan?” Horatio asked as he approached the group.

Emily sighed and gently stroked Julliet’s hair as the little girl leaned against her chest, “Danielle’s in with John and a nurse right now, trying to get John calmed down,” she replied in a worried voice. “Grissom had a private call…”

“…Which is now finished,” the voice of Grissom said as Emily, Sully, Bosco, and Horatio suddenly heard footsteps.

The four of them turned to see Grissom coming towards them with a solemn look on his face, “I just got done talking to Warrick,” he said in a solemn voice. “What’s the chance of JT being released by Halloween?”

“Grissom, I can’t answer that,” Emily replied worriedly. “Only JT’s doctor can tell you that. Why do you ask?”

Grissom sighed, “Warrick overheard a conversation between Catherine, a Stella Bonasera, and a Sergeant Rick Stelter and from a distance, he discovered that they had broken into my office,” he stated. “There was talk of kidnapping JT straight from Mercy, but they ultimately decided to stick to a plan that they’ve already formed.”

“Why not just keep John here for as long as he needs to be here and put a guard at Danielle’s house after that?” Bosco asked in a confused tone. “I wouldn’t mind doing guard duty and I’ll tell Chief Morris that too.”  
Sully sighed, “I keep forgetting that you don’t have the full measure of Edward Addison yet, Bosco,” he stated, giving Bosco a stern look. “Edward knows where Danielle lives and there is little doubt that he has friends around the city who will help him achieve his goal. If John goes back to that house, he’ll be as good as dead very soon.”

“Officer Boscorelli, what kind of neighborhood do you live in?” Grissom suddenly asked, an idea coming to mind about how John could be kept safe with trustworthy people. “You’ve been seeing Danielle Sullivan, right?”

Suddenly realizing what Grissom was thinking of doing, Bosco’s eyes widened, “I don’t even know if I have Halloween off yet,” Bosco stated. “LaRusso’s still on medical leave and I’ve just been doing desk duty.”

“If you agree to do some work for Victims Assistance, I can get you Halloween off,” Emily spoke up, quickly catching on to what Grissom had in mind. “I’ll talk to Danielle Sullivan first, though, to get her permission.”

Just then, the door opened and a female doctor came out of the room with an exhausted looking Danielle. Through the door, the whole group could see John back in bed and he appeared to be sleeping soundly.

“Doctor Montoyan gave John a little medication to slow down his heart so that they could monitor it properly,” Danielle said in a tired tone as she walked over to Emily and saw that Julliet was asleep. “Oh, how cute.”

Emily smiled, “Julliet’s been here all day and she’s pretty worn out,” she said in a gentle tone. “How are you?”

“I’m not too happy with the New York CSI’s at present,” Danielle replied with a distressed voice; she suddenly noticed that her father, Bosco, and Lieutenant Caine were there. “What’s with all the people, Emily?”

Grissom sighed, “Miss Sullivan, I need to talk to you, Doctor Montoyan, Officer Boscorelli, and Lieutenant Caine in private,” he stated in a concerned voice. “If Officer Wolfe and JT’s grandfather could stay with JT for a bit…”

“Go ahead,” Sully stated. “I could use some time with my eldest grandson. You’ll keep me in the loop, right?”

Both Bosco and Danielle nodded and walked in-step with Horatio as he followed Grissom down the hallway.

Sully sighed and walked into John’s hospital room, “They’re gone, John, you can stop pretending to be sleeping soundly,” Sully said, approaching the bed as Emily entered the room with Julliet asleep in her arms.

There was silence for a moment and then John opened his eyes, “Grandpa Sully, I feel like crap,” he spoke in a barely audible voice as he felt the electrodes on his chest with his good hand. “They put me on a heart monitor.”

“I know they did,” Sully replied softly as he took a seat next to the bed. “I heard you had a panic attack.”

John sighed, “That Flack guy was freaking me out,” he stated weakly. “I really can’t remember a lot of what happened in Miami or even how I got back to New York. I only remember seeing Doc at some point…”

“John, save your strength,” Emily suddenly cut in, not wanting John to talk about Miami before he was ready.

John shook his head, “What happened to Doc?” he asked in a worried voice. “Did he go back to Bellevue?”

Sully winced and quickly looked at Emily; he was at a loss for how to handle John’s question about Doc.

“No, he didn’t” John suddenly said in a strained voice as if he were beginning to remember. “I woke up in a van and couldn’t see very well. Doc told me to blink and then he helped me to get out of the van; he told me to run…”

Emily frowned, but remained silent, “What do you remember after that, John?” she asked in a cautious tone.

“It was cold and I was walking down an alley,” John replied faintly. “I saw Grandpa Sully there…”

Sully let out a breath he had been holding in, “I seriously can’t remember anything else,” John stated. “I kept trying to tell that Flack guy that, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. He said that I killed Stewart Otis---“

“John, listen to me,” Sully suddenly said, cutting John off so that the monitor wouldn’t go haywire. “If you keep trying to remember things before you can handle it, your body will react negatively and you’ll get worse instead of better. Right now, I don’t want you to worry about anything right now except getting better. Miss Wolfe agrees.”

Emily nodded, “Remember John, time and place,” she said in a calming tone. “Just like we talked about, okay?”

“Yeah,” John slowly replied, taking a deep breath to relax. “Hey, Grandpa Sully, can I ask you something?”

Sully nodded, “Why does Officer Boscorelli have a bandage on his face?” John asked in a weak voice. “Ever since I first saw him on the July 4th we moved back here, I’ve been really curious about the bandage on his face.”

“I don’t know if I’m the right person to tell you that,” Sully replied, knowing full well that Bosco would get annoyed if he heard people talking about him behind his back. “Maybe you’d better ask Officer Boscorelli.”

“Nobody will believe you, you little punk,” Edward’s menacing voice whispered in his mind. “Just be quiet.”

The night before had been agony and he had snuck out of school and hidden himself in the living area at the Camelot firehouse. His mother and Doc were out working together while Jerry was out sick that day.

Nobody had noticed him, so he just sat on the couch, hugging his legs and looking at the floor.

Eventually, his mother and Doc did come back and although his mother didn’t notice him, Doc did, “Hey John, what are you doing here?” Doc asked in a gentle voice. “You should be in school right now, buddy.”

Hot tears suddenly pooled in his eyes and trickled down his face, “Doc, I gotta tell you something,” he said.

“John?”

John blinked and suddenly saw that his mother was back in the room, “You kinda zoned out for a moment there, kiddo,” Danielle said in a gentle voice as she smoothed his bangs off his forehead. “You feel a bit warm.”

“Just thinking about the past,” John replied in a tired voice. “I’m feeling kind of hungry and thirsty, though.”

Doctor Montoyan, who was lingering at the foot of the bed, nodded, “I’ll have a nurse bring you something from the cafeteria,” she said in a gentle voice. “You have to have a shot and wait 20 minutes before you eat, though.”

“How’s my blood sugar?” John asked in a worried voice. “Did the panic attack screw it up?”

Danielle smiled, “It’s a little low, but eating will help,” she replied. “Do you want me to do your shot or the doctor?”

“It’s my shot, I’ll do it,” John replied in a tired voice. “Mom, can I talk to Bosco first?”

Danielle looked surprised, but nodded and gazed out into the hallway where Grissom, Bosco, and Sully were deep in conversation with Horatio. Emily and Julliet, however, were nowhere to be seen, which was rather concerning.

“Maurice, can you come in here for a moment, please?” Danielle called into the hallway in a gentle voice.

Danielle watched as Bosco whispered something to Grissom and then came into the hospital room, “What’s up, Danielle?” Bosco asked in a concerned tone. “Is everything okay?”

“Um, I wanted to ask you something.” John stated in a nervous voice as he looked at Bosco. “I-I wanted to know w-why y-you have a bandage on your f-face. Please don’t be mad at me for asking. I was just wondering…”

Bosco suddenly looked thoughtful as he gazed at John, “First of all, John, you don’t have to be afraid to ask me a question,” he replied in a gentle voice. “I am not Edward Addison and I will not beat you up for being curious.”

John nodded, but didn’t relax, “Secondly, the bandage is on my face because I was with a group of NYPD officers in the emergency room several months ago and ended up seriously injured when we were ambushed by shooters.” Bosco explained as he leaned on the gurney railing. “I was in a coma for a while and had to relearn some things when I finally woke up. Nobody expected me to come back to work, but I fought to get back and I eventually did.”

“Yeah, but you’re tough,” John replied softly, avoiding the shocked looks that his mother and Dr. Montoyan were giving him; he was too afraid to look at Bosco’s reaction. “I’m not tough at all. I’m young, I’m useless….”

Tears began to fall from John’s eyes and embarrassed to be crying so openly, he placed his hands over his face.

“All right, it’s time for John to have a little privacy,” Dr. Montoyan said in a gentle authoritative tone. “He needs to have a shot so he can have something to eat in 20 minutes. I’m afraid most of you will have to leave now.”

Suddenly realizing that Emily had left the room with Julliet, Sully nodded and quietly left the room, “Officer Boscorelli, I’d like to talk to you in private,” Gil said in a gentle tone. “See you later, Miss Sullivan, John.”

“See you later, John,” Bosco said in a gentle voice. “Listen to your mother and make her take it easy?”

John let out a small chuckle as Bosco left the room, carefully closing the door behind him. Danielle smiled and gently stroked a few bangs off of John’s sweaty forehead before looking at Dr. Montoyan, who was smiling.  
***************************  
“Hello?” Emily asked as she put her cell-phone, which had been buzzing in her pocket, up to her ear while she kept an eye on Julliet at the nurse’s station; the nurse holding her smiled reassuringly and gently rocked Julliet.

On the other end, a male voice responded gently enough to cause Emily to blush, “Hey Tim,” she said in a gentle voice as she smiled at the nurse. “I can’t believe you remember my number after all this time or that I’ve kept the same cell phone ever since I was a teenager. Anyway, enough of my babbling. How are you and what’s going on?”

Emily was silent for a few minutes and then suddenly frowned, “What do you mean Bernard assaulted Ryan in Calle Ocho?” she asked in a worried voice as she suddenly begin to feel pain in her chest. “I’m not worried, I promise.”

“Please just keep an eye on him,” Emily said in a worried voice, only slightly annoyed by Tim’s gentle voice telling her to relax and enjoy New York. “I can try and get a flight back after Halloween if it is absolutely necessary, but..”

Emily suddenly fell silent; she had gotten a text earlier that morning from Dr. Loman saying that she would need to contact him soon concerning the results of the biopsy that had been sent to Miami from New York. She didn’t want to tell Tim about the cancer just in case it wasn’t cancer; it had been hard enough to tell Ryan about the biopsy.

“Tim, I have to go,” Emily said in a nervous voice. “I will take it easy. You be safe, okay? Bye bye.”

As Emily put the phone in her pocket, Julliet suddenly woke and extended her arms outward, “Okay, sweetie; come here,” Emily said as she took Julliet from the nurse. “I wonder, is it possible to contact a Miami doctor from here?”

“Yes, if you know the name of the doctor and where they work,” the nurse replied gently. “Do you have that?”

Emily nodded, “It’s Doctor Tom Loman at Miami-Dade Hospital,” she said, unaware that Sully was approaching from behind and had heard her conversation with Tim. “He said to get a hold of him as soon as possible.”

“It’ll take a few minutes, but I can get him on the phone for you,” the nurse said in a gentle voice. “Hold on.”

Sully frowned, “Do you think he has the results of your biopsy?” he asked in a concerned tone.

“Sully, you are as quiet as a mouse,” Emily replied tonelessly as she looked at him. “I don’t really know—“

The nurse suddenly cleared her throat, “Miss, I have Doctor Loman on the phone,” she said, offering the receiver.

Emily nodded and took the receiver, “Doctor Loman?” she said in a nervous voice. “This is Emily Wolfe.”

Sully watched as Emily suddenly frowned, “I understand,” she replied in a soft, toneless voice. “Yes, I can come home after Halloween; maybe the first of November. Thank you, Doctor Loman. Good bye now.”

“Is it bad?” Sully asked, knowing that Emily’s news was not good. “Did they catch it in time to treat it?”

Emily sighed and handed the receiver back to the nurse, “I’ll deal with it when November comes,” she replied in a tone that warned Sully not to push for information. “Sully, I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me right then.”

“It’s okay,” Sully replied in an understanding tone. “You’re running on empty right now and need a break.”

Emily nodded and gazed at Julliet, “Sweetie, wake up,” she cooed to the little girl. “Are you hungry?”

Julliet opened her eyes and looked at Emily, “Yup,” she replied in a quiet voice. “Mama hungry?”

“No, but I bet you are,” Emily replied gently, stroking Julliet’s hair. “I have to stay up here, though.”

Sully sighed, “You should get started with your treatment as soon as possible,” he said in an upset voice.

“Oh man,” Emily said in an anguished voice as she rubbed Julliet’s back. “Sully, I’m so scared, but I have to be brave so that I can help your grandson through his crisis. I also have to be brave to keep my baby girl safe.”

Unsure of what else to do for the moment, Sully watched Emily and Julliet with a concerned expression on his face.  
*********************  
“Such a skinny child,” Dimitri LaRusso hissed in a thick Cuban-Russian accent as he observed Bobby through binoculars in his dark car that was parked across the street from the hospital parking lot. Dimitri was disgusted.

Thanks to a tip from a Stella Bonasera of NYPD, Dimitri had found it easy to come to New York and seek out the son that he had left motherless years ago. He had been to New York once before, but had fled when Horatio Caine had cared for and later legally adopted Bobby. He and Horatio had NEVER gotten along, Dimitri remembered.

“Looks like me, but definitely does not act like it,” Dimitri spat as he watched Bobby sleep in the other car.

Dimitri was about to put the binoculars away and disappear for another several years when he suddenly saw Rick Stetler walk over to the car where Bobby was resting. He remembered Rick as nothing but a puppet and knew that this would be his one chance to take two lightweights out in one hit; if only he had a weapon on him.

“Stella, give me your gun,” Dimitri hissed, gazing at Stella, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Stella sighed, but quickly surrendered her gun, “Bobby is weaker than I expected him to be,” Dimitri stated.

“Rick must have come back on an early flight to set up an alibi for himself,” Stella replied. “According to NYPD records, Amanda Stetler was married to Bobby and was abusive to him to the point where he ran away to Miami. The situation spiraled out of control and now his daughter his dead and his wife got psychotic and killed by police.”

Dimitri scoffed, but said nothing as he cocked the gun, “Since Rick couldn’t stop his sister from beating on my son, he’ll have to die as well,” he stated in a toneless voice as he aimed the gun at Rick and the car he was beside.  
******************************  
Tap-tap-tap.

LaRusso opened his eyes and saw Stetler lingering outside the open window, “What do you want, Rick?” LaRusso asked in a groggy voice, not wanting to have to sit up to look at his brother-in-law. “I’m trying to get some rest.”  
“You look terrible, Bobby,” Stetler replied in an unusually concerned tone. “I thought Horatio was guarding you?”

LaRusso sighed, “He’s in the hospital attending to some business,” he replied. “I’m too weak to do much, but I promised to stay in the car and rest while he took care of his business. It’s all I can do not to cry, you know?”

“Horatio’s always being secretive,” Stetler snapped as he looked at the ground. “Wonder why that is.”

Before LaRusso could reply, bullets began hitting the hood of the car, “GET OUT OF THE CAR!” Stetler yelled as he opened the door of the rental car. LaRusso didn’t need telling twice; he dove out of the car to the snowy dirt.

“What’s going on?” LaRusso gasped from behind the car door as Stetler rose with his gun ready to fire.

Suddenly, a car that had been parked across the street tore off. Stetler fired after it, but it was gone too quickly.

“Rick, I think I’m gonna be sick,” LaRusso whispered, his entire body trembling from what had just happened.

“You had no idea who was shooting at you?” Sully asked as he and Horatio watched a nurse check LaRusso’s vital signs in the now locked down emergency room. LaRusso was now on a gurney with his shirt open and electrodes on his chest to monitor him for the shock induced by the random shooting and there were oxygen tubes in his nose.

LaRusso sighed and shook his head, “I was just resting in the car and Rick came over to me,” he replied in a toneless voice as the nurse put a clip on his finger. “We were talking and the next thing I know, shots were being fired at us.”  
*********************************  
From the door of the exam room, Emily sighed and gently held Julliet as she listened to Horatio reply, “I’ll be talking to NYPD about putting a security detail at your house,” he said in a concerned tone. “Your Aunt Yelina is with BJ and Adam at the school, but I’ll brief her on what happened anyway. I want you to stay here and rest in the meantime and I will stay with you until you’re released. Have Mr. Grissom and Officer Boscorelli left yet?”

“I think that Grissom guy left right before the lockdown,” Bosco interjected as he walked into the room and saw LaRusso back in a hospital bed. “I was getting ready to go upstairs and visit Danielle when I heard gunfire.”

LaRusso sighed, “Bosco, you should use your brass pass and go to work so you don’t get a reprimand,” he said in a tired voice, suddenly annoyed that so many people were in the room. “I should probably rest like my uncle said to.”

“I’m gonna take Emily and Julliet back to the Plaza,” Sully spoke up, giving Emily a gentle look not to argue.

Stetler rolled his eyes at Sully’s overprotectiveness of Emily, “I might go see some sights,” he said, not wanting to go near Yelina, Adam, and BJ at the moment. “I’ll go by the house later and see if anything needs doing.”

“Do whatever you want, Rick,” Horatio replied tonelessly, determined to stay with his shock-stricken nephew.

Emily glared at Rick as he left the room; she didn’t trust Rick Stetler at all and she most likely never would.

“Shall we go?” Sully asked, concerned at the angry look on Emily’s face. “Feel better soon, LaRusso.”

LaRusso nodded and watched as Emily carried Julliet from the room while Sully followed, deeply concerned.  
“What?” Stella asked, gazing at Dimitri with her mouth open and her eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

Dimitri nodded, “Get out of my car,” he repeated in an angry voice. “We never saw each other, got it?”

“Dimitri, I helped you find your son,” Stella replied in a shocked voice. “Now you’re abandoning me?”

Dimitri scoffed, but said nothing. Swallowing hard, Stella quickly got out of the dark car to avoid trouble.

As Dimitri sped away, he knew that he would have to take measures to ensure success next time.


	15. Fires of Refinement Part I

October 31

Paper jack o lanterns decorated the walls, doors, and tables in the hospital room, but John ignored all of them as he lay on his hospital bed with jeans, a t-shirt, and socks covering his body. He was exhausted.  
The nurse who had helped him shower said nothing as she carefully put his casted arm against his chest. She then rubbed his wet hair with a towel and took the plastic bag that had covered his arm out of the room. For once in his life, John was relieved to have a moment alone.

“Sweetie, how are you feeling?” Danielle asked as she suddenly entered the room dressed in her paramedic uniform with a winter coat over one arm. She smiled sadly at seeing how quiet John was.

John sighed, “I’m so tired,” he replied as he gazed at his mother. “At least the painkillers are working.”

“Well, Maurice is going to make sure you rest today,” Danielle said as she sat down on the edge of the bed and massaged her tired son’s sock-clad feet. “If I didn’t have to work the third watch shift—“

A yawn escaped John’s lips, “I can’t believe Grandpa Sully is gonna take David and Ellie trick or treating in the cold,” he said in a tired voice. “I’m a bit nervous about spending time with Bosco and his mom.”

“Maurice actually rented some videos for you guys to watch tonight,” Danielle replied gently. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but all I’d like you to do is give him a chance to prove himself, okay?”

John nodded and Danielle held up the coat, “I got this for you from the house,” she replied in a gentle voice as John slowly sat up. “It’s probably a little big on you, but let me help you put it on.”

“Thanks,” John said in a tired voice as Danielle carefully put the coat on him. “It’s really comfy.”

Danielle smiled and gently stroked John’s wet hair, “I still don’t get why I can’t be at home,” John said in a tired voice. “I can be by myself for an hour or so while Grandpa Sully takes David and Ellie out---“

“Sweetie, we’ll go home probably tomorrow or the next day,” Danielle replied gently, cutting him off because she didn’t want John to know anything else. “Just focus on feeling safe tonight, okay?”

Before John could reply, Bosco and Rose Boscorelli entered the room with a nurse who was pushing an empty wheelchair, “John Sullivan?” the nurse said in a gentle voice. “You’re cleared for discharge.”

“John, this is my ma, Rose,” Bosco said in a gentle voice. “Ma, this is Danielle’s eldest son, John.”

Rose smiled and waved at John, but John remained motionless and silent; as gentle as Bosco’s mother looked, he was scared to death about spending time with people he didn’t really know or trust well. Bosco smiled at him, reached under the bed, and placed the diabetes backpack over his left shoulder.

“I made a nice supper for you tonight,” Rose spoke up, deeply concerned about how pale and nervous John looked. “Maurice also rented some nice Halloween videos that you can watch tonight if you want.”

Swallowing hard, John nodded, “Mom, are Grandpa Sully, David, and Ellie going to be safe on the streets tonight?” he asked in a concerned voice. “If everyone’s guarding me, what’s going to happen to them?”

“NYPD posted a guard to go with Sully and your siblings,” Bosco cut in. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

Danielle sighed, “Well, honey, it’s time for you to get out of here,” she said, trying to hold her true emotions back about John having to be at a safehouse for the evening. “Do you need help standing?”

Biting his lip, John slowly got to his feet and slowly walked over to the wheelchair. He winced, swallowed hard, and immediately shivered both from the cold and intense fear he was feeling that afternoon.

Fortunately for him, Danielle was prepared and quickly took a large tuque out of her pocket and placed it over John’s wet hair. She then put an arm around him and helped him to sit in the wheelchair.

“Don’t forget your gloves,” Danielle commented as she reached into her other pocket and pulled out a pair of heavy winter gloves which she carefully put over both of John’s hands. “I love you, honey.”

John nodded and was silent as Danielle gently hugged him, “Let’s get going,” Bosco said in a gentle, yet commanding tone, wanting to get John into hiding as fast as possible. “Ma, can you push the chair?”

“Of course,” Rose replied, suddenly noticing John’s shoes under the bed. “Danielle, John’s shoes.”

Realizing that she had forgotten to put John’s shoes on him, Danielle reached under the bed and grabbed the pair of shoe-like slippers that the NYPD had graciously donated since John’s sneakers were still being used as evidence. John looked at the slippers, but didn’t complain about needing them.

“Mom, I’m scared,” John whispered as Danielle put the slippers over his sock feet. “I’m really scared.”

Letting out a patient sigh, Danielle gently massaged his shoulders, “Maurice and his mother will make sure you’re well taken care of,” she said in a soft voice. “I’ve filled in Mrs. Boscorelli in about your diet and there’s a spare bedroom at her apartment so that you can get some rest without interruptions.”

“We should really get going,” Bosco suddenly cut in, being careful to use a gentle voice. “It gets dark earlier now and I want to be back in the apartment before dark. Danielle, are you going to be safe…”

Danielle nodded, “I’ll be fine,” she replied, gazing at the nurse. “See you tomorrow, John, okay?”

“Love you Mom,” John said in a quiet voice as he gazed at the blanket on his lap. “Bye.”

The nurse silently wheeled John from the room as Rose followed, “He’ll be fine, Danni,” Bosco said, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I’m gonna phone you at the firehouse later, okay?”

“Okay,” Danielle whispered as Bosco left the room and followed his mother and the nurse.

For a moment, Danielle stood in the empty hospital room and tried very hard not to think about the fact that she had been forced to take all these precautions because Doc was still missing and Edward was loose somewhere in New York City. Then, letting out a deep sigh, she quietly left the hospital room.

“Did John get off safely?” Gil asked, suddenly coming out of an unoccupied hospital room next door.

Danielle nodded, “Did Warrick contact you again with any more information?” she asked in worriedly.

“No,” Gil replied in a worried voice. “I did, however, get clearance to organize a police watch on the Bed-Stuy firehouse for tonight. I’m worried that Catherine, Rick, or Stella will try something even now…”

As they walked down the hallway towards the elevator, Danielle sighed, “I don’t trust Rick Stetler at ALL,” she said in an annoyed voice. “He’s caused trouble for John before and he could do it again.”

“Stetler won’t do anything with Horatio and Emily Wolfe still in the city,” Gil replied, having just talked with Emily on the phone right before he had organized the watch. “She’s serving as a distraction…”

Danielle looked surprised as they approached the elevator, “I thought Emily went back to Miami?” she asked, knowing that it was costing Emily a lot of money for her and her daughter to be up here.

“Emily decided to stay until after Halloween,” Gil replied as he pressed the down button and the doors slid open. “She wants to take her daughter trick-or-treating tonight and wants to also make sure that nobody’s going to play nasty tricks on any of the people she’s sworn to protect around here.”  
*************************  
“Don’t you have anything better to do than break into your ex-wife’s house, Edward?” Doc asked in an aggravated voice, trying to break free of Edward as the bigger man dragged him into Danielle’s kitchen.

Edward growled under his breath and threw Doc on the kitchen floor hard, “Shut up,” he hissed.

Even though he was injured, Doc managed to get to his feet and grab a kitchen knife from the knife block on the edge of the counter. He lunged at Edward with the knife, just nicking the man’s neck before Edward grabbed the knife, threw it in the sink, and began shoving Doc into the fridge and counters.

“Fool,” Edward hissed as Doc finally fell to the floor unconscious. “I have to end this once and for all.”

Edward scoffed and moved away from Doc, his eyes searching for matches or anything that would start a fire as he pulled out his cell-phone and dialed Stetler’s cell number. Something had to be done.

After Doc was taken care of, Edward thought as he put the phone to his ear, Emily Wolfe would be next.  
************************  
Stetler fought the urge to throw his cell-phone against a wall as it rang and he saw the number on it was Edward’s, “Hello?” he asked in a nervous voice, his heart sinking as Horatio suddenly walked into the kitchen with a folded up newspaper and a large mug of coffee. “…W-What do you want, Lieutenant?”

Horatio frowned, “…No, I don’t know ANYTHING about John Sullivan and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!” Stetler hissed with wide eyes. “…Don’t ever call this number again or I will call the cops!”

Convinced that Horatio wasn’t buying his act, Stelter screamed an obscenity into the phone and hung up, forcing his body to tremble violently. Rick swallowed hard and leaned against the table.

“Rick…” Horatio said, choosing his words carefully. “Rick, what just happened?”

Stetler sighed and swallowed hard, “Edward Addison got my number somehow and he’s threatening to kill me unless I charge John Sullivan with the murder of Stewart Otis,” he lied in an anxious voice. “I was too scared to say anything before, but Stella told me that John’s prints were found on the gun that killed Stewart Otis. I don’t know if John did it in self-defense or what, but he is in very deep trouble.”

Before Horatio could reply, Yelina came into the kitchen with Adam and BJ, both of whom were dressed in cute Halloween costumes; BJ was dressed as a cop and Horatio silently noted how much BJ looked like Bobby while Adam, who looked more like Amanda, was wearing a monkey costume with face paint.

“Horatio, are you ready to go help Sully take his grandkids out for trick-or-treating?” Yelina asked, looking equally dashing in a smart pantsuit she has chosen to wear that evening. “I just talked to him and he’s waiting near the park for you, Adam, and BJ. Please be careful tonight, Horatio.”

Horatio nodded and gave Stetler a look, causing Rick to leave the room in a hurry, “Where is Bobby, tonight?” Yelina asked in a concerned voice. “Please don’t tell me he was forced to work his beat.”

“Officer Boscorelli is on special assignment tonight,” Horatio replied gently. “At least for tonight, Bobby is going to be serving as a bodyguard for Captain Doherty at the Bed-Stuy firehouse.”

Yelina frowned, “Bobby’s health isn’t good right now,” she said, concerned. “He should be resting.”

“Captain Doherty is supposed to stay at the firehouse all evening,” Horatio replied in a calm voice. “If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t allow Bobby to do anything but rest here. However, I do think everything will be fine.”

Yelina nodded, but didn’t look entirely convinced, “Horatio, why don’t you let me take Adam and BJ out with Officer Sullivan and his grandkids?” she suggested in an uneasy voice. “Rick has been acting strange all day and I don’t feel comfortable being here alone with him. Is that okay with you, Adam and BJ?”

“That’s okay,” Adam replied in an eager voice. “Auntie Yelina thinks that John’s grandpa is cute.”

Blushing, Yelina smiled at Adam, “I think we should get going,” she said in a gentle voice. “BJ, let’s go.”

Horatio couldn’t help but give Yelina a mischievous grin as she led the two boys out the kitchen door and then he sighed; he couldn’t help but be jealous that romance was hitting everyone but him lately.

However, Horatio then realized that he could use this opportunity to check on Emily a little later on.  
*******************  
“This is it,” Rose said in a gentle voice as she unlocked the door to her apartment. “John?”

Rose turned and saw John leaning against a nearby wall with a pained expression on his face, “Maurice, where are you?” she asked in a worried voice. “John, just hang on to the wall until Maurice gets here.”

“Ma, did he make it up there?” Bosco’s voice filtered up the stairs. “He’s too nervous to accept help.”

John paled as Bosco reached the top of the stairs, “Let’s get inside the apartment, shall we?” Bosco suggested, not wanting to lecture John about his stubborn demeanor. “It’s much safer in there.”

John nodded and slowly walked over to the open door, “I just wanna lie down on the couch,” he said in a tired voice as he slowly moved inside the apartment and was immediately surprised to see that there was a living room, kitchen space, dining area, and a small hallway leading to three bedrooms and a bathroom. He also saw well-cared for furniture and a small stack of videos on the kitchen counter.

“On the couch?” Rose asked as she came in behind him. “I’ve made up the spare bedroom for you.”

John paled, “I don’t want to be shut up in a room by myself,” he said in a faint whisper. “I can’t…”

Bosco and Rose looked at each other silently for a moment, “Maurice, why don’t you make up the hide-a-bed for now so John can rest a bit before supper?” Rose finally suggested in a gentle voice. “While Maurice is making up the bed for you, John, why don’t you have a seat at the kitchen table?”

“Okay,” John replied, slowly moving over to the kitchen table where he quietly sat and gazed at the unpolished wood silently, too scared to look up at Bosco or Rose to tell them that he was afraid.

Bosco merely sighed, however, and quietly tossed the cushions off the couch to pull out the hide-a-bed while Rose closed and locked the apartment door, “Would you like something to read, John?” she asked in a gentle voice as she walked back to the kitchen table. “Your mom mentioned that you like books.”

“No, thank you,” John replied in a voice barely above a whisper without looking up at her.

Bosco sighed and quickly stacked the pillows on top of the now open hide-a-bed, “Bed’s ready,” he said in a gentle voice, hating that John was acting like he was a lost cause. “You wanna rest, right John?”

Nodding, John slowly got to his feet and walked over to the hide-a-bed. He pushed the sheets back with his good hand, slowly sat down, and then lifted his legs on top of the bed, allowing himself a deep sigh.

“Thank you,” John finally said in a voice barely above a whisper. “Is it okay if I sleep for a little while?”

Bosco nodded and was silent as John closed his eyes, “Maurice, why don’t you help me with dinner while John sleeps?” Rose suggested in a gentle voice. “Danielle made me a list of things that John’s allowed to eat and how much of it he can have per meal, but I’m having trouble understanding it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Bosco turned to his mother and saw that she was holding out a large piece of paper that had a lot of writing on it, “I thought you didn’t have a lot of food in your apartment, Ma,” he replied as he took the list and scanned it carefully. “Some of this stuff can get expensive at this time of year.”

“As soon as I found out that I was having guests on Halloween, I took some money out of savings and went to the store,” Rose replied in a gentle voice. “I don’t know much about what happened to John, but I do know that it had to have been horrific. I want to make him feel safe enough here with us.”

Bosco nodded, “What can I do to help?” he asked, knowing it would take more than expensive, specially prepared food and a comfy bed to make John feel safe, but he didn’t want to tell his mother that at all.

As Rose rattled off a list of things that he could do, Bosco gazed at the hide-a-bed and was relieved that the talking hadn’t woken John up; the kid had been to purgatory and back and definitely needed rest.  
*********************  
Devil’s Mansion – Miami, Florida

“…What?!” Bernard hissed into the phone, his eyes full of fury. “…Ricky said WHAT to you?!”

As Edward relayed what Stetler had told him, Bernard fought the urge to throw the phone at the wall; Edward had tried to phone Rick and Rick had told him never to call again. Was Rick betraying them?

“…Eddie, go and find Rick right now,” Bernard hissed through gritted teeth. “I want you and Ricky to go visit Emily at her hotel; teach her a lesson that she’ll not be quick to forget. Now goodbye….”

Bernard slammed the phone down, picked it up again, and dialed a very familiar number, “…Clavo, it’s Bernard,” he hissed when he heard Clavo’s voice on the other end. “…Rick’s turned rat and I need some other way to draw Ray out of hiding; Emily knows where Ray is, but she is being dealt with. I want you to take Suzie and Madison to Brazil as fast as you possibly can and then kidnap Ray’s other wife and brat…”

“…Just do it and take them to the headquarters in Brazil,” Bernard snapped. “I will contact you soon.”

Without waiting for Clavo to say goodbye, Bernard slammed the phone down and immediately winced; he placed a hand over his chest and took a deep breath before closing his eyes to relieve the pain.

Bernard knew his time was running short, but he could make the most of the time that he had left.  
*********************  
Edwardian Suite – Plaza Hotel – New York, New York (One hour later)

Even though she was tired and stressed from thinking about how her life would be very different once she got back to Miami, Emily concentrated on dressing Julliet up in the small princess costume that she had gotten at a nearby costume shop just that morning. It was a little expensive, but very worth it.

As she sat quietly on the couch in her pink dress, winter boots, and plastic tiara that was adorned with fake jewels, Julliet smiled up at her mother. Emily chuckled and carefully brushed Julliet’s blonde hair.

“Mama, you pwetty,” Julliet said in a cooing voice, causing Emily to chuckle and kiss the top of her forehead; she was in sweats, socks, and an old sweater and they were going out very, very soon.

A loud knock at the door suddenly caught Emily’s attention, “I didn’t ask for any room service or housekeeping,” she said in a semi-irritated voice as she set the brush on the coffee table.

“Officer Wolfe, it’s Sergeant Stetler,” Rick’s voice replied crossly. “I have Lieutenant Addison with me.”

Emily’s eyes widened and she quickly picked Julliet up, “I’m gonna put you in the closet and close the door,” she whispered to her young daughter as they hurried to the bathroom. “Be quiet, okay?”

Julliet nodded as Emily set her down inside the bedroom closet and closed the door. Emily then hurried out of the bedroom, taking care to close the door behind her, and over to the door leading to the hall.

“What do you want, Rick?” Emily asked in a nervous voice. “Why is Edward Addison here with you?”

Edward snickered, “You’d better open the door, Wolfe, or I’ll shoot through the door,” he hissed.

Emily secured the lock and then opened the door just enough so she could see Stetler and Edward standing in the hallway, “When I get back to Miami, I’m filing paperwork to charge JT Sullivan with the murder of Stewart Otis,” Stetler stated sharply. “There’s sufficient evidence to bring JT to trial.”

“You’re such a hypocrite, Rick,” Emily hissed in an infuriated voice. “Why not put yourself on trial?”

Stetler chuckled, “You’ve got such potential, Wolfe,” he replied smoothly. “Yet, you waste your time protecting lightweights like Bobby LaRusso and JT Sullivan; you’re gonna end up burying yourself.”

“Leave now, Rick,” Emily said in a commanding voice even though she was scared. “Get out of here.”

There was silence and, assuming that Rick and Edward had left, Emily closed the door. She was horrified when it was suddenly kicked open, “You’re the one that’s going to be checking out, Wolfe!” Edward yelled in a semi-slurred voice, making Emily realize that Edward was drunk. “Ricky, grab her!”

Stetler suddenly looked terrified and mouthed ‘pretend to fight back’ as he reached for her. Emily slapped Stetler’s hand away and backed up, giving him a look that told him to go and find help fast.

Unfortunately, that was the last thing that Emily did as Edward gave her a hard shove into the wall and kicked her in the chest as she fell to the carpet. Stetler looked horrified, but knew that he would die if he tried to go against a drunken Edward. For a moment, however, Edward turned away from Emily.

“Eddie, this isn’t what Bernie had in mind,” Stetler said in a worried voice. “We should get out of here.”

Edward turned and spat at him, “Yes, Emily is lying about knowing Ray Caine and probably about a lot of other things, but you got your revenge,” Stetler continued nervously. “Let’s not make this any worse.”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Edward roared drunkenly. “EITHER HELP ME DO THIS OR GET OUT!”

Without waiting for a reply, Edward turned his attention back to Emily and began to alternate between kicking and hitting her in various parts of her body. While she fought to stay conscious, Emily silently prayed that he would stop hurting her soon and leave so that she could cuddle Julliet and call for help.  
*********************  
Devil’s Mansion – Miami, Florida

“…What?!” Bernard hissed into the phone, his eyes full of fury. “…Ricky said WHAT to you?!”

As Edward relayed what Stetler had told him, Bernard fought the urge to throw the phone at the wall; Edward had tried to phone Rick and Rick had told him never to call again. Was Rick betraying them?

“…Eddie, go and find Rick right now,” Bernard hissed through gritted teeth. “I want you and Ricky to go visit Emily at her hotel; teach her a lesson that she’ll not be quick to forget. Now goodbye….”

Bernard slammed the phone down, picked it up again, and dialed a very familiar number, “…Clavo, it’s Bernard,” he hissed when he heard Clavo’s voice on the other end. “…Rick’s turned rat and I need some other way to draw Ray out of hiding; Emily knows where Ray is, but she is being dealt with. I want you to take Suzie and Madison to Brazil as fast as you possibly can and then kidnap Ray’s other wife and brat…”

“…Just do it and take them to the headquarters in Brazil,” Bernard snapped. “I will contact you soon.”

Without waiting for Clavo to say goodbye, Bernard slammed the phone down and immediately winced; he placed a hand over his chest and took a deep breath before closing his eyes to relieve the pain.

Bernard knew his time was running short, but he could make the most of the time that he had left.


	16. Fires of Refinement Part II

Street – Miami, Florida

Life was going okay, Eric reflected as he pulled his car out of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab’s employee parking lot and turned on to the street that would eventually lead him to the hospital. He had just finished a light day at the lab and was now going to pick up Marisol to take her to chemotherapy.

As he drove past several commercial buildings, Eric suddenly noticed something strange in an alley close to the bus stop. Frowning, he quickly pulled over, got out, and walked towards the thing in the alley.

Eric’s jaw dropped as he got closer and saw that Ryan was lying huddled up in an alley looking very pale and battered with blood on his clothes and face. Ryan’s breathing seemed to be somewhat slow.

Out of instinct, Eric knelt down and as it extended towards Ryan, Ryan’s shaking hand reached up and grabbed it as if to keep it away. It was only then that Eric noticed that Ryan’s left hand was in a cast.

“I won’t go back to the hospital,” Ryan whispered in an anxious voice. “Just get me off the street.”

Eric silently sat there, watching as Ryan struggled to wake up and wondered what to do.  
****************  
Times Square – New York City 

“Sully!” 

Hearing his name, Sully turned and saw Ty standing near a parked squad car in uniform, “Grandpa Sully, who’s that?” Ellie, who was wearing a princess costume that Danielle had found at a second-hand store just a few days ago underneath her winter jacket and gloves asked, as she clung to Sully’s hand.

“That is Lieutenant Davis,” Sully replied as he smiled at Ty. “I worked with him when I used to be a cop.”

David, who had a doctor costume on underneath his winter coat and gloves, giggled, “I didn’t know grownups could dress up too,” he commented as Ty came over to them. “He looks really funny.”

“I look so funny because I’m working, little man,” Ty replied gently, having overheard David.

Ellie’s eyes widened as she looked up at Ty, “You are really big,” she said in an awed voice.

Sully chuckled, “Taking the grandkids out trick or treating tonight?” Ty asked in an amused voice.

“Danielle has to work tonight and John’s not in any shape to be walking around,” Sully replied in a matter-of-fact voice as he grabbed hold of David’s hand. “I’m meeting Detective Salas here in a bit.”

Ty’s eyes widened and he snickered, “You’re late, Officer Sullivan,” a gentle female voice said.

Sully blushed as Yelina, who was holding tight to Adam and BJ’s hands, came over to them, “Hello Detective Salas,” he said in a nervous voice as he ignored the amused look that Ty was giving him.

“Yelina, please,” Yelina replied in an amused voice. “Have you planned out a route for tonight?”

Sully smiled, “Actually, I thought we’d ride around in Ty’s squad car to the safe areas and then he’ll drive us back to my apartment when the kids are tired,” he explained. “Ty offered to be our driver tonight.”

Yelina nodded, as she understood that David, Ellie, Adam, and BJ could also be targets of Edward Addison despite them only being children, “Brendan’s off with his wife tonight, so I asked my chief if I could do special duty,” Ty stated in an amused voice as he opened the back passenger door. “There are trick or treat baskets in the backseat and Sully made out a map of where it’s safe to go tonight.”

“Can we visit Mommy at the fire station later?” David asked as he scrambled into the backseat.

Sully chuckled and silently helped Adam, BJ, and Ellie into the backseat. As Yelina came to sit beside them, she smiled at Sully and slid into the backseat. Sully sighed and carefully closed the door.  
********  
A squad car with flashing lights startled Horatio as his taxicab pulled up in front of the Plaza Hotel with the intention of checking on Emily and Julliet. He remained silent as he paid the driver, got out of the cab, and hurried up the carpeted steps into the hotel; had something happened to Emily or Julliet?

The scene in the lobby was chaotic; a crowd of frightened looking guests of various age, size, and caliber were crowded behind a strip of police tape being talked to by a distressed looking Brendan Finney. On the far side of the lobby near the desk, an angry looking Grissom was arguing with an anxious Stetler.

A door that Horatio assumed led to some sort of ballroom was open and soft crying could be heard, which concerned him deeply, “Horatio, what are you doing here?” Stetler asked in an anxious voice, suddenly noticing that Horatio had arrived unexpectedly. “I thought you were doing the packing…”

“Most of it is done, Rick,” Horatio replied in a suspicious voice. “What are you doing here tonight?”

Stetler paled, but Grissom shut him up with a glare, “Perhaps you can be of help,” Grissom stated in a concerned voice, deeply relieved to see Horatio. “There was an assault on a guest tonight, and…”

“Where is she?” Horatio asked in a concerned voice. “Emily has a young daughter with her…”

Grissom nodded and gestured to the ballroom, “They’re in there with paramedics and Detective Yokas,” he replied in a worried voice. “A couple of CSI’s named Messer and Taylor want to process her…”

Horatio narrowed his eyes at Rick before silently proceeding to the ballroom. He stepped inside and saw Carlos and Grace at the far end of the room with an empty gurney. Emily was leaning against the wall near them and she was looking at the floor where Julliet, who seemed unharmed, was quietly sitting.

“Miss Wolfe?” Horatio asked as he approached Faith, who was standing out of reach of Emily.

Emily looked up at Horatio, revealing bad bruises on her face and a cut on her forehead, “Edward and Rick came to visit me,” she replied in a soft voice as she clung to the wall. “Rick didn’t hurt me…”

“You let me deal with Rick,” Horatio replied softly. “You should go to the hospital and be examined.”

Emily shook her head, “I’ve been in the hospital enough during my time in New York,” she whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Horatio asked in a concerned voice. “When were you at the hospital?”

Emily shook her head and slowly let go of the wall, “Faith, please, I’ve had enough of being on display,” she whispered, pleased when Faith immediately took her hand. “Horatio, there’s nothing you can do.”

Horatio was silent as he watched Faith help Emily over to the gurney, “Tell Mac that he can process me at the hospital,” Emily said as she slowly sat on the gurney and immediately placed a hand on her chest.

Carlos immediately grabbed the mask that was attached to the tank sitting on the end of the gurney and offered it to Emily, “Just breathe deep,” he said gently as Emily took the mask. “Let us help you, okay?” 

Not bothering to put the mask on, Emily was silent as Carlos and Grace helped her to lie down on the gurney, “Please give me my daughter,” Emily said in a tired voice. “I’m not leaving without her.”

“I’ll carry her,” Grace offered as she gently scooped Julliet up off the floor. “Carlos will help you.”

Carlos nodded and quickly covered Emily with a blanket, “Do you have any opposition to me checking you over?” he asked in a cautious voice, suddenly remembering his false harassment charge years ago.

“We do,” a voice said as Mac and Danny Messer suddenly came into the room with their CSI kits in hand.

Emily swallowed hard, but was surprised when Horatio stepped forward, “You are not to process Miss Wolfe until she is at the hospital,” he said darkly, giving Mac a warning look that he’d better back off.

“Look, we have jobs to do,” Danny protested in a calm, yet very annoyed voice. “This is a crime scene…”

Horatio placed his hands on his hips, “You heard what I said,” he replied in the same dark tone.

“Lieutenant Caine, just let them do their job,” Emily spoke up in a trembling voice even though she wasn’t looking forward to being processed. “Do it quickly and don’t say anything stupid, please.”

Mac nodded and slowly approached the woman he now recognized to be a former NYPD colleague of his whom he had lost contact with, “Danny and I are going to be as quick as possible,” he promised.  
********************  
“…John, wake up,” a gentle voice whispered into his ear. “My ma’s got dinner just about ready.”

Bosco frowned when John didn’t stir right away, “David, are you really sure about that or are you just screwing with my head so that I’ll get up and play cars with you?” John mumbled in a groggy voice.

“John, it’s Officer Boscorelli,” Bosco replied in a concerned voice. “You’re at my ma’s place.”

John’s eyes slowly opened and he was surprised to see Bosco kneeling beside the bed, “I can’t eat yet,” he said in a groggy voice as he slowly sat up and winced. “I have to check my sugar with my kit.”

“I put your kit in the bathroom,” Bosco replied as he got to his feet and offered his hand. “Want help?”

John immediately tensed at Bosco’s offered hand and then relaxed, “I got this,” he replied in a faint voice as he slowly got out of bed and shuffled across the floor with a hand on his bandaged wounds.

“His sugar’s low,” Bosco commented as he turned to face his mother, who was busy making plates of salad, vegetables, and grilled fish up for the three of them. “Danielle warned me that when John’s sugar gets low, he’ll have memory problems. It happened a few times before the Miami incident.”

Rose nodded understandingly as the bathroom door closed, “You’d better not let him be in there by himself for too long, Maurice,” she replied in a worried voice. “When you were finally out of the hospital, you spent a lot of time in my bathroom looking at your bandages and stressing out…”

Bosco nodded, “I remember that,” he replied in an anxious voice as he hurried down the hallway to the bathroom and knocked on the closed door. “John, are you doing okay in there?”

There was silence and, fearing the worst, Bosco slowly opened the door and saw John standing in front of the bathroom mirror with his shirt in his hand; he was silently gazing at his heavily bandaged torso and had a hand on his chest. The blood sugar kit looked like it had been used and there was also a used insulin needle on the bathroom sink. John’s eyes were glassy and he looked very emotionally beaten.

“You’re supposed to keep your arm in this,” Bosco commented in a concerned voice as he picked the sling, which in his opinion could use a wash. “Did you check your sugar yet, John? You need to…”

John sighed, “I got my insulin,” he replied in a hollow voice. “I had to see it all for myself, ya know?”

“I know,” Bosco replied softly as he took the t-shirt from John’s hand. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

John nodded and swallowed hard, “I wish I could just say that I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I can’t skip any meals,” he said in an anxious voice. “I wish I could remember how this all happened…”

There was silence and John suddenly began to cry. Bosco didn’t hesitate to gently wrap his arms around John and pull him close even though he was warned not to. John cried silently in Bosco’s arms.

“Why don’t I help you get your shirt back on and we go back to the living room?” Bosco suggested as he gently released John. John sniffled, nodded, and was quiet as Bosco returned the shirt to his torso.

John sighed as Bosco carefully returned his casted arm to the sling, “I’m a mess,” he whispered as he left the bathroom with Bosco at his heels. He froze at the sight of Rose quietly setting the table for dinner.

“Can I help?” John asked in an unsteady voice, knowing his mother would want him to be of help.

Rose smiled as she looked up at him, “No, I’ve got it taken care of,” she replied in a gentle voice.

“Just have a seat at the table, okay?” Bosco suggested as he pulled out a chair that had a pillow on top of it. “I’ll get you some water to tide you over and a nice, balanced meal will help you feel better.”

John slowly sat and stared at the plate of food in front of him, “You’re not supposed to eat for ten minutes,” Bosco said as he took John’s glass and walked over to the kitchen sink. “Your mom said that they put you on new insulin while you were in the hospital; it’s a more fast acting insulin, right?”

Bosco quickly filled the glass and brought it back over to the table, “I thought maybe after dinner we’d watch one of the movies I rented for ya,” he said as he picked up the small stack of VHS tapes and looked them over briefly before putting them back on the counter. “Unless you wanna rest more?”

“I’m not sure,” John replied softly as he stared at his plate, silently hoping he could run away later.

Bosco sat in the empty chair next to John, “I hid your shoes, by the way,” he said in a quiet enough voice so that only John could hear him. “I don’t know why, but your mom and grandpa are worried about you trying to take off in the middle of the night. I told them that you had too much common sense to do that, but your mom made me promise to hide your shoes once you got to my mom’s apartment.”

Fortunately, John was spared from having to come up with a response as Rose took a seat at the head of the table. Bosco, however, knew that John would have taken off had his shoes not been hidden away.

“I’m not really religious, but why don’t we say some sort of blessing on this wonderful food and express gratitude that John gets to spend the evening with us?” Rose suggested in a hearty tone. “Maurice?”

Bosco nodded and immediately folded his arms, giving John a look to copy him. John, however, remained motionless and merely closed his eyes. Not wanting a fight, Bosco cleared his throat to pray.  
****************************************  
Miami, Florida

Bzzz…Bzzz…Bzzz…

Ryan groaned and fumbled around, thinking that his alarm clock was going off, but he was surprised to find that there was no alarm clock there. He could, however, feel something that resembled a phone.

The phone continued to buzz and Ryan forced himself to sit up even though he immediately felt pressure in his chest. He was surprised to see that he was in a bed covered by a blanket and that his phone, wallet, passport, and watch were all laid out neatly on a small stand beside the bed.

Trying to ignore the pain in his chest and wrist, Ryan grabbed his phone with his good hand and saw that he had missed six calls from Carlos. Worried that something had happened to Emily, Ryan hurriedly pressed the ‘Return Call’ button on his phone and held the phone up to his ear anxiously.

“Carlos, it’s Ryan,” Ryan said as he heard Carlos answer the phone. “Why were you trying to call me?”

Pain suddenly shot through Ryan’s body as he listened to Carlos explain that Emily was attacked and injured by Stetler and Edward Addison in her hotel room, but that she was processed by New York CSI’s and taken to hospital with Julliet in tow, “…Carlos, I’m fine,” he hissed anxiously even though the pain of his injuries from his fight with Bernard and the stress of Emily’s attack were quickly wearing him down.

Ryan swallowed hard; he had been recovering from his injuries and working for Ray the entire time since the altercation with Bernard, but Bernard had found him just a day earlier and had beaten the tar out of him, taunting him about his skinny frame and useless mind. After Bernard had left on a motorcycle, Ryan had slept in an alleyway with his gun as the only company he had and had promptly passed out there.

Without warning, Ryan felt his hand release his phone and was powerless to catch it before it hit the carpet. A blast of nausea suddenly hit him and Ryan promptly vomited all over the floor.

“I was telling Delko that we should have taken you to a hospital,” Ryan suddenly heard a voice say.

Ryan looked towards the doorway and was surprised to see Tim lingering in the doorway looking extremely concerned, “What?” he asked in a groggy voice, unable to process Tim’s words.

“Delko found you passed out in an alley on his way home from work yesterday,” Tim explained, concerned by how pale Ryan looked. “He called me and when I came, I told him to take you to a hospital, but Delko was worried about Stetler finding out. He brought you over to my apartment.

Ryan winced and immediately doubled over, “This has to be off the record,” he hissed angrily.

“Delko’s out in the kitchen making you something to eat,” Tim replied in a concerned voice as he reached down and got Ryan’s phone out of the puddle of vomit. “Who’s Carlos Nieto, Ryan?”

Ryan froze and, straightening up, he snatched the phone from Tim’s hand, “I have to get out of here,” he said in an anxious voice, wincing as he got out of the bed, grabbed his passport and wallet, and walked across the pile of vomit, not caring that he had ruined his shoes. He had to get a plane to New York.

Tim followed Ryan out of the bedroom, “Where are you going, Wolfe?” Eric asked, surprised to see Ryan not only awake but ready to kill someone. Eric immediately hurried to block Ryan from the front door.

“You’re going to tell Stetler and Stetler WILL tell Bernard!” Ryan yelled as he struggled to get past Eric despite feeling sick and being severely injured. Suddenly, Ryan doubled over and touched his chest.

Eric immediately backed off, but Tim knelt down next to Ryan, “C-Can’t breathe,” Ryan wheezed.

“Delko, call 9-1-1,” Tim ordered as he moved Ryan’s hands and quickly unbuttoned Ryan’s shirt, revealing bandages and very colorful bruises on his chest. “Did Bernard do all this to you, Ryan?”

Ryan nodded and lowered his head, “Let’s just take him in my car,” Eric stated, knowing that Stetler would get involved if 9-1-1 was called and Stetler hated Ryan. “Can you stand him up, Speedle?”

“Can you sit up?” Tim asked, dismayed when Ryan shook his head. “Delko, call an ambulance!”

Eric swore loudly and hurried over to the phone on Tim’s kitchen wall. He ripped the receiver off the wall and quickly dialed 9-1-1 as Ryan turned his head and threw up all over Tim’s welcome mat.

“It’s clear,” Tim observed in a calm voice as he looked at how tired Ryan was. “Ryan, you still alive?”

Ryan sighed and took a deep breath, “I’m fine,” he said in a much calmer voice as he slowly stood up.

“The patient says he’s fine,” Eric snapped into the phone. “I can’t exactly force him to get treated.”

Ryan filled his pockets with his things and then fumbled for the door handle, “Look, I gotta go,” he said in an anxious voice, knowing that Ray would contact him soon with more work. “Thanks for the help.”

Before Tim and Eric could react, Ryan bolted outside and down the street. As he neared the street corner, he suddenly noticed Ray lingering just out of the street light with a worried look on his face.

“Ryan, I have another job for you,” Ray said in an anxious voice. “How are you at rescuing people?”

Ryan frowned, “That’s a job for the Miami-Dade Police Department,” he replied worriedly.

“They think me dead, as does Horatio,” Ray said anxiously as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Clavo and Ramon. “This is Clavo and Ramon Cruz; they kidnapped Suzie and Madison Keaton.”

Ryan’s eyes widened, “These guys helped kidnap Emily, James, and Julliet,” he replied in an upset voice.

“I don’t know if James is still alive, but Suzie and Madison are,” Ray stated. “I have a list of the places Clavo and Ramon Cruz frequent as well as what they own. I want you to go undercover and get a job at one of their clubs to monitor their activities. It’s going to be dangerous work and it’s voluntary…”

Ryan shook his head, “Forget it,” he snapped. “I’m not risking my life for a dangerous volunteer job.”

“Where else are you gonna go, Ryan?” Ray said angrily, suddenly feeling adrenalin surge through him as he got closer to the former CSI. “You’ve got no job, no strength, and barely anything useful to do!”

Suddenly realizing that something about Ray was off, Ryan immediately took a step back, “What are you on, Ray?” he hissed in an anxious voice, realizing that Ray was into drugs. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I need your help,” Ryan heard as he turned away from Ray. “I need your help to kick my habits.”

Ryan shook his head, “I’m done,” he replied in an angry voice. “I don’t work for drug addicts.”

“Fine, I’ll do it on my own!” Ryan heard Ray yell angrily. “You’d better watch your back, Wolfe!”

As Ryan walked down the darkened street, he was unaware that Tim had followed him outside and had seen the entire argument with Ray, mistaking Ray for a drug dealer. Tim had quickly returned to his house and was now filling Delko in on the situation while making calls to try and provide Ryan help.  
***************  
Bed-Stuy Firehouse

“You know, LaRusso, that paperwork will still be there in a couple of hours if you wanna get some shut-eye,” Jimmy commented as he came out into the common area and saw LaRusso, who was in his full NYPD uniform, seated at the table working through a folder of paperwork. “It’s a slow night so far.”

LaRusso shook his head and didn’t look up from his work, “I have to get this done tonight,” he replied in a semi-distressed voice as he switched his attention to another paper. “I need to submit it tomorrow.”

Jimmy quickly looked around and was relieved that Jacob and a group of the firefighters were sitting in the TV area watching a Halloween movie and not paying attention to LaRusso, “When’s the IAB hearing?” he asked, leaning in close so that nobody would overhear him. “Is it coming up soon?”

“Early November,” LaRusso replied tiredly as he looked up. “When I hand in the paperwork, I’ll find out.”

Jimmy nodded and sat down at the table, “Are you sleeping at all, Bobby?” he asked, deeply concerned.

“As much as I absolutely need to in order to get anything done,” LaRusso replied as he made a few more notes and closed the folder. “I’ve got as much done as I can without paperwork that I left at my house.”

Jimmy nodded and watched as LaRusso returned the folder to a backpack that was at his feet just as Danielle, who was dressed in a FDNY uniform, came into the common area looking slightly exhausted.

“Hey Danielle, how are you doing?” Jimmy asked, turning his focus away from LaRusso’s silence.

Danielle sighed, “I just called Bosco’s mom to see how things are and all seems to be well right now,” she replied in a low voice. “I thought for sure that Edward would go after John again out of anger…”

Before Jimmy or LaRusso could reply, the alarm went off and as the location of the fire was announced, Danielle’s jaw dropped in shock, “That’s my house,” she said in a shocked voice as the firefighters streamed towards the pole from all over the station. “Jimmy, my house is on fire….how?!”

“We gotta go,” Jimmy replied hastily as LaRusso got to his feet. “LaRusso, ride with Danielle and Jacob.”

LaRusso nodded and picked up his backpack, “I’m so glad I didn’t let my kids go home tonight,” she said in a low voice to LaRusso as Jacob approached her, fully ready to leave. “Jacob, LaRusso’s with us.”  
**********************  
“Can I help with the dishes?” Bosco heard a quiet voice ask as he came back from the bathroom and into the room that doubled as the living area and kitchen. He saw John lingering at the counter nervously; a sign that he didn’t know what to do now.

Rose smiled as she began filling the sink with water and dish soap, “You should rest now, John,” she replied in a gentle voice as she began putting the dinner dishes in the sink. “Maurice can help you lie down on the couch.”

John’s gaze switched to Bosco and Bosco immediately noticed that John looked as if he was trying to remember something, but failing at it, “Do you wanna watch a video?” Bosco asked in as gentle a voice as he could muster. “My ma’s right, you know; you should be resting as much as possible, John. I hate to remind you of this, but you only got out of the hospital this afternoon.”

John’s eyes narrowed and for a moment, Bosco was worried that the teen was going to become aggressive, but was very surprised when John let out a sigh and nodded, “Yeah,” John replied in a slightly sleepy voice as he removed his hands from the counter top. “Do I have to watch a movie?”

“No, you don’t have to watch a movie,” Bosco replied gently. “Do you wanna see what’s on TV?”

John shrugged and slowly walked back to the couch, “If there’s any word games on, I wouldn’t mind that,” he replied softly. “My mom doesn’t let us watch scary stuff, as it gives me nightmares.”

Bosco nodded and walked over to the small TV. He turned it on and flipped through the channels until he found Wheel of Fortune on, “This is the least terrifying show on television,” he commented.

When John didn’t respond right away, Bosco turned and saw that John had gotten himself into bed and was now sleeping without the blanket covering him. Bosco sighed, walked over to the bed, and gently covered John up so that he’d be more comfortable. He then moved over to the kitchen area where Rose was quietly washing up the dishes and placing them on a towel to air dry. Rose quickly smiled at him.

“I’m gonna take a little nap in the easy chair,” Bosco said in a soft voice. “Wake me when you’re ready to go to bed, okay Ma?”  
Rose nodded and silently went back to doing dishes as Bosco wandered over to the easy chair, sat, and quickly fell asleep.  
****************************  
The house was a flaming inferno by the time Danielle and Jacob arrived at the scene in their rig. Three fire trucks, a cop car, and a line of firefighters were already gathered, trying to keep the blaze from hitting other houses nearby, as it was plainly obvious that Danielle’s house was a lost cause.

Out of instinct, Danielle immediately went into the back of the ambulance and began gathering supplies.

“I don’t think you’ll need those,” LaRusso commented as he gazed at the flaming inferno before him. 

Before Danielle or Jacob could reply to his comment, loud gunshots sounded out from inside the house causing the crowd lingering behind the barriers to scatter and the cops to try and move people back.

Danielle quickly stuffed all the supplies into the medical bag and burst out of the back of the ambulance, nearly running into an approaching Stu Lotta-Z’s and Billy Walsh as she approached the barriers.

“Jimmy took a team inside right before you guys arrived because they heard screams,” Stu reported in an anxious voice. “I don’t know what their status is; after the shots, we lost contact with the team.”

Knowing that Kim would be heartbroken if anything happened to Jimmy, Danielle looked at Jacob and then back at Stu, “Get us some PPE and we’re going in to get Jimmy and his team out,” she said in a voice that dared anyone to argue with her. “They might be injured and Kim would personally blame me if anything happened to Jimmy.”

“Only if I go with you two,” Stu replied firmly. Danielle sighed, nodded and gave Jacob a look to follow them.

It didn’t take long for Danielle and Jacob to suit up in proper gear, “LaRusso, guard the rig,” Jacob said as a very concerned LaRusso approached to voice his concern about the danger. “Danielle’s mind is made up and I’m going to support her.”

LaRusso nodded and sighed, “What if the gunman’s still in there?” he asked nervously. “I’m supposed to protect Jimmy…”

“You’re not trained to go into something like this,” Jacob replied, cutting LaRusso off. “Just stay here and we’ll be back soon.”

LaRusso fought the urge to argue, as he WAS trained, but he knew Jacob was subtly trying to tell him that he wasn’t physically well enough to go into a fire without becoming a potential casualty and that he should just stay back, “Be safe in there,” LaRusso said in a worried voice, knowing that his uncle would be upset if he decided to involve himself in a dangerous situation.

Jacob nodded, hurried away, and caught up to Stu and Danielle just as they entered the house. Suddenly, more shots were fired and LaRusso heard screams from inside the house just as another explosion ricocheted through the already dangerous night.


	17. Fires of Refinement Part III

Too close of a call. Edward thought as he quickly exited the house through the kitchen door and made his way down the dark alley. He was well aware of the burning inferno he was leaving behind and hoped that he had made a point.

A cough escaped his lips and Edward quickly placed a hand on his chest; he was already in pain from the fight with Doc and inhaling the smoke must have been too much. He needed medical attention, but also not to get caught.

The gun that was in his pocket quickly fell out and hit the ground softly, but Edward was too distracted by his own pain and the fact that he had been forced to shoot at a batch of firefighters so that he could get out of the house, to notice the gun was missing. All he cared about was finding someone that could get him safely to a hospital.  
*************  
“Ma’am?” a gentle voice spoke. “Ma’am, my name is Jesse Cardoza and I’m with the Los Angeles Police Department. I’m gonna need to ask you some questions about what happened at your home tonight…”

Emily Marquez, as she was known back then, said nothing and merely turned to face the window so that Officer Cardoza wouldn’t see that she had been badly beaten by Bernard shortly after he beat Jenna to death. There were footsteps and Emily suddenly felt a gentle hand on her shoulder; she could hear Officer Cardoza talking to her.

The scene suddenly morphed and Emily saw herself being slammed against the wall by a drunken Edward, “You stupid twit, tell me where you’ve stashed JT!” Edward yelled angrily as he administered a fierce beating on her.

“…Like I’d tell you,” Emily weakly mumbled as she suddenly felt a hand on her face. “I won’t tell you…”

Emily suddenly heard some talking and then she felt a mask being removed from over her mouth and nose, “…Officer Wolfe, can you hear me?” she heard a gentle voice ask. “Officer Wolfe, please try and respond.”

Thoughts of Julliet’s whereabouts suddenly popped into Emily’s mind and she opened her eyes, “Where’s my daughter?” she asked in a faint voice, shocked to see a female doctor, Mary Proctor, and Faith standing at her bedside with Julliet in her arms. “Where am I? The last thing I remember was being processed at the Plaza…”

“You passed out while Detective Taylor and CSI Messer were processing you,” Faith explained in a gentle voice as she tried to hold Julliet back from climbing into her mother’s lap. “Lieutenant Caine’s yelling at them in the waiting room for putting you under unnecessary stress. Unfortunately, Emily, I do have to ask you some questions about…”

Emily sighed, “Yes, I know,” she replied softly as she looked at Mary and the doctor. “Could you give us a sec?”

The two medical staffers nodded and quickly left the curtained off area, “How bad is it, Faith?” Emily asked softly.

“Facial bruising, bloody nose, a concussion, and broken ribs,” Faith replied softly. “How bad is the cancer?”

Emily let out a weak scoff, “I knew Sully would tell you,” she replied in a resigned voice. “I’m going to be booking a fight back after Halloween and get started on a chemo regimen if circumstances work out that I can do so.”

“I know how you feel,” Faith stated softly. “I didn’t quit working when I had cancer either; I did radiation.”

Before Emily could reply, Grissom came into the curtained area looking distressed, “They’re getting reports over the radio that there’s a major fire at Danielle’s house in Bed-Stuy and that there were shots fired at the scene,” he stated.

“I need my clothes,” Emily replied as she slowly sat up and immediately lay back down due to the pain her broken ribs were causing her. “Faith, please, I have to make sure that my clients are safe and out of Edward’s reach.”

Faith sighed, but before she could reply, Horatio came into the curtained area, “Detective Yokas, Officer Wolfe, there is a fire at Danielle Sullivan’s house and NYPD personnel are being ordered to the scene,” he stated in a concerned voice. “If you need to leave, Detective Yokas, I can stay at the hospital with Officer Wolfe for now.”

“Horatio, you should go,” Emily replied in a nervous voice. “You need to see if Bobby is all right.”

Horatio sighed, “Detective Taylor and CSI Messer still need to talk to you,” he replied in a concerned voice.

“I used to work in New York and I have a lot of friends, including him,” Emily replied softly. “If you’re not going to go check on Bobby, can you go to the desk and phone Officer Boscorelli to make sure that John is doing okay?”

Horatio nodded, “I can do that,” he replied in a calmer tone. “I don’t have to watch Rick now; he is off on his own.”

Emily nodded, but remained silent until Horatio left the curtained area, “I need rest, Faith,” she said as she looked at Faith, who looked very concerned as she held Julliet, who looked very sleepy, close. “I really need to sleep a bit.”

“I can stay a while,” Faith replied in a soft voice. “Did you want anything to eat before you have a sleep, Emily?”

Emily shook her head, “Julliet might need a snack before she sleeps,” she said sleepily. “I don’t feel like eating.”

“Okay,” Faith replied in a worried voice as she gently set Julliet on the bed. “Say night night to Mommy, Julliet.”

Julliet crawled up the blanket and nestled in beside Emily’s chest, “Mama,” she whispered. “Love you Mama.”

“I love you too,” Emily whispered as she gently stroked Julliet’s hair with her IV-laden hand. “I really do.”

Faith silently watched them for a moment and then took a seat on a stool that was next to the bed to keep watch since she had no other place to be that evening; her own daughter was at a friend’s for a study party for the night.  
***************  
“…Somebody, please help me,” was the first thing Danielle heard as she came out from behind the burning living room couch after hiding during the shooting. She could see several firefighters in the kitchen trying to escape the inferno, but she also suddenly noticed a lone being in the living room; it was Jimmy and he had been shot.

Danielle quickly moved over to where Jimmy was laying, “Jimmy, can you walk?” she asked in an anxious voice as she knelt down next to him and saw blood stains on the yellow stripes of his firefighting coat. “Jacob, get in here!”

“What’s up, Danielle?” Stu replied as he came into the living room and saw that Jimmy was hurt. “Oh man…”

Jimmy groaned as he lifted one of his hands and placed it over the bloodstains, “I think it was Edward who shot me,” he said in a faint voice as he struggled to stay awake. “Danielle, if I don’t make it out, tell Kim…”

“You can tell her yourself,” Danielle replied in a firm voice as she removed the tube from her oxygen tank and attached it to Jimmy’s so that he’d stay awake while they got him through the house. “Any other injuries, Stu?”

Stu shrugged as he and Danielle helped Jimmy into a chair carry, “Jacob’s hurt pretty bad, but he’s fighting treatment since the fire’s getting worse,” Stu explained as they carried Jimmy through the living room.

Danielle gasped as they entered the kitchen with Jimmy; Jacob was lying next to a decapitated body with a gloved hand over the chest of his firefighter’s jacket, which was stained with blood. He was gasping faintly and shaking.

“Jacob, let the others help you,” Danielle said in a worried voice as she gazed at her mentor. “Let the 5-5ers...”

Jacob coughed, “Get Jimmy out of here,” he replied faintly. “I know a lot of trucks are still coming; get out..”

“C’mon, Danielle, we have to get Jimmy out,” Stu commented anxiously. “The others will help Jacob…”

Fighting the urge to cry about her second mentor being lost to evil, Danielle nodded and kept a firm hold on Jimmy as she helped Stu carry him through the kitchen door and around the yard to the front. Almost immediately, LaRusso and several paramedics came rushing over to them. Danielle coughed as Jimmy was rushed out towards the street.

“Billy Walsh and a bunch of firefighters from Bed-Stuy precinct and the 5-5 are still inside with an injured paramedic and with a decapitated body,” Danielle heard Stu say as he hurried towards the fire trucks and ambulances that had gathered. “Call Major Cases and the CSI Department; there’s something major here…”

Danielle coughed and kneeled down on the lawn, “Danielle, are you all right?” LaRusso asked worriedly.

“I-I gave my oxygen to Captain Doherty so he’d stay awake,” Danielle said in a weak voice as she removed her helmet and set it on the ground, wincing as she coughed again. “It was so smoky and hot in there, though…”

LaRusso nodded and offered his good hand to her, “Can you stand up?” he asked softly. “You need oxygen.”

“I-I have to go and help,” Danielle protested as she broke into another coughing fit. “It’s my duty to go…”

Instead of backing off, however, LaRusso gently took Danielle’s arm and helped the shellshocked paramedic to her feet, making sure that he had a good hold on her in case she fainted, “I may have a broken wrist, but I am officially on duty tonight,” he said in a firm voice as he led her towards an empty ambulance. “I also know basic first aid…”

Danielle nodded anxiously as she sat on the back step and immediately doubled over, “I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she said in a pained voice as she coughed again. “If Jimmy doesn’t make it out, Kim will never forgive me…”

“Here, take this,” LaRusso said as he climbed into the back of the ambulance, pulled an oxygen mask off the wall, and extended the line to where Danielle was sitting. Danielle took the mask and gently placed it against her mouth.

As LaRusso climbed out of the ambulance, a flustered looking Grace came up to them, “Hey, NYPD aren’t supposed to be rummaging through our rigs,” she said in an annoyed voice. “We’re really busy tonight, so…”

“This paramedic risked her life in helping get Captain Doherty out,” LaRusso replied crisply, cutting Grace off.

Grace’s eyes widened, “Danielle?” she asked, suddenly recognizing Danielle. “You went in to get Jimmy out?”

Too exhausted to speak, Danielle nodded weakly and Grace looked at LaRusso, “Officer LaRusso, I didn’t know you had been cleared for duty,” she said as she carefully removed Danielle’s coat. “Your wrist is still in a cast?”

“I’m on special assignment tonight,” LaRusso replied as he took Danielle’s coat from Grace. “Help Danielle.”

Grace nodded and LaRusso quickly turned, only to find two other paramedics preparing to load Jimmy, who was now on a gurney, into another ambulance, “I have to keep to my assignment,” he whispered as he hurried over to the other ambulance with his heart pounding in his ears. “I have to provide an NYPD escort for Captain Doherty.”

The paramedics nodded and mumbled incoherently as they moved Jimmy’s gurney into the ambulance. LaRusso swallowed hard and moved into the ambulance, but before the doors closed, he suddenly felt Jimmy grab his hand.

“Jimmy, just relax,” LaRusso said in what he hoped was a soothing voice as he heard an ambulance drive off.

Jimmy blinked and wheezed, “Let’s go,” one of the paramedics said in an official tone. “We’ve got to hurry.”  
**********************  
A box caught Sully’s eye as he, Ty, and Yelina led David, Ellie, Adam, and BJ down the hallway to his apartment while holding to the bags of candy that the children had collected during their trick or treating. Sully quickly got ahead of the group, bent over, and peered at the tag on the lid. The tag was written in blood red and read For JT.

“Yelina, here’s my key,” Sully said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his key. “Take the kids inside.”

Yelina frowned as she suddenly noticed the box and the tag on it, “Should I call Horatio?” she asked in a concerned voice as she took the key and unlocked the door to Sully’s apartment. “JT is not even here, so should we open that?”

“Did JT get a present, Grandpa Sully?” David asked as he noticed the box. “It’s cool since he can’t have any candy.”

Sully swallowed hard, “Detective Salas is gonna take you kids inside and help you go through your candy bags, okay?” he said in a nervous voice as he and Ty passed the candy bags to Yelina. “I’ll be inside in just a minute.”

Ty silently watched Yelina gently hustle David, Ellie, Adam, and BJ into the apartment and close the door, “I really don’t know if we should open this without that Lieutenant Caine guy,” Ty said nervously. “What if it’s a bomb?”

“It’s not a bomb,” Sully replied as he took his gloves out of his pocket and put them on so not to leave fingerprints on the box in case they DID need to call someone about it. “The blood red ink makes me think Edward sent it.”

Ty’s eyes widened, “Edward knows where you live and that doesn’t bother you?” he asked in a shocked voice.

“Of course it bothers me,” Sully replied as he placed his hands on the lid. “There are worse things in life, though.”

Sully silently lifted the lid and was shocked to find the bruised, battered head of an old friend in the box, “Is…is that Doc’s head?” Ty asked in a shocked voice as he peered in the box. “Why would anyone want to send that to John?”

“It’s a message to John not to mess with the bad guys,” Sully replied in a somber voice. “Where’s Doc’s body?”

Ty paled and quickly turned away so that he wouldn’t throw up on the evidence, “Ty, you’d better call for backup,” Sully said in a solemn voice as he quickly put the lid back on the box. “I’m glad John’s not here tonight to get this.”  
*************************  
Danny sighed impatiently and tried to keep his composure as he stood face to face with Faith, who was guarding the curtained area where Emily and Julliet were resting together, “…Detective Yokas, with all due respect, it’s necessary for me to question Officer Wolfe about what happened tonight,” he said in an apologetic voice.

“Why don’t you wait until Lieutenant Caine finishes talking with Detective Taylor and then we can talk about it?” Faith suggested in an annoyed voice, not wanting Emily to be subjected to more stress. “Emily got hurt by Edward and that Stetler fellow pretty badly, so she’s getting a much needed rest. She just wants to be alone with her child.”

Danny nodded, but before he could reply, Mac and Horatio came out of the staff lounge where they had been discussing the attack on Emily Wolfe and about how Edward and Stetler were working together. Horatio looked almost angry while Mac looked rather solemn, causing Danny and Faith to exchange looks of pure concern.

“I’m afraid questioning Officer Wolfe will have to wait, Danny,” Mac said in a somber voice. “I just got a call from the NYPD and a Lieutenant Davis of Anti-Crime found a head in a box that fits a missing person’s description.”

Danny frowned, “We’ve got a lot of missing people, Mac,” he replied coolly. “Did Davis call the M.E. yet?”

“Actually, both Lieutenant Davis and John Sullivan Senior, who retired from the 5-5 after its original location was destroyed several months ago, identified the head as belonging to a Monte Parker,” Mac replied solemnly. “They and a Detective Yelina Salas were coming back to Sullivan’s apartment with Sullivan’s grandkids and Officer Bobby LaRusso’s kids after doing some trick or treating. Detective Salas has the kids in the apartment right now.”

Horatio suddenly cleared his throat, “I was on my way to contact Officer Boscorelli about how the arrangement is working out when I was approached by you, Detective Taylor,” he commented. “I am going to go do that now.”

“Don’t tell John that Doc is dead,” Faith cut in, suddenly feeling bad for John. “John and Doc were really close.”

There was an awkward silence and paramedics suddenly hurried into the ER with the gurney containing a semi-conscious and badly bleeding Jimmy. Faith, Horatio, and Mac only caught a glimpse of Jimmy before he was rushed away into a trauma room, but then a tired looking LaRusso entered a moment later with his backpack in hand and walked over to where Horatio and Mac were standing. Faith gazed worriedly at LaRusso’s pale face and tired eyes.

“Danielle’s coming in another rig because she got a little sick after getting Captain Doherty out,” LaRusso stated in a worried, extremely tired voice. “Stu, Billy Walsh, and some other guys from the 5-5 were trying to get Jacob and a decapitated body out when I left with Captain Doherty. There were shots from inside the house while we were there and I think whoever fired the shots may have been the one to leave the body inside; why do you all look so solemn?”

Faith swallowed hard, “Sully found a box addressed to John outside his apartment when he, Yelina, and Ty were coming back from trick or treating with David, Ellie, BJ, and Adam,” she explained nervously. “He and Lieutenant Davis opened the box and found Doc’s head in it. Now John’s going to have to explain Doc’s last whereabouts…”

The curtain suddenly opened and a tired looking Emily was on her feet with Julliet asleep on the bed held in place by pillows and raised bed railings, “John isn’t physically up to trying to remember all of what happened to him right now, Faith,” she said in a tired voice as she gripped her IV pole to steady her shaking body. “Stetler already wants to put John on trial for the murder of Stewart Otis because John’s prints were on the gun that killed Stewart, but…”

“I think that now isn’t the time to try and put this puzzle together given John’s current physical condition,” Mac suddenly interjected, understanding that Emily was trying to explain that John needed more recovery time and professional help before he would be able to remember things without it hurting him. “Officer LaRusso, I suggest you phone Officer Boscorelli and update him on tonight’s happenings while I talk to Officer Wolfe…”

Emily nodded, “Also, contact Captain Doherty’s wife and tell her what happened tonight,” she said in a tired voice.

“Bobby, you should get some rest,” Horatio interjected in a gentle, yet very firm tone. “I will make the calls.”

LaRusso sighed and fought the urge to yawn as he shook his head, “I’m still on duty,” he replied in a tired voice.

“Wait a minute, where did that Grissom guy go?” Danny cut in in a worried voice. “Did he go lookin for Stetler?”

Mac sighed and frowned as Emily suddenly gripped the rail of her bed and doubled over a bit, “Officer Wolfe?” he asked in a concerned voice as he quickly moved over to the gurney. “Perhaps it’s time for you to get some rest.”

“Perhaps you are right, Detective Taylor,” Emily replied in a pain-filled voice. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

Mac nodded and moved back, “Detective Yokas, the NYPD mentioned that they needed someone to collect the head and that someone needed to go and talk to Lieutenant Davis and John Sullivan Senior about the box,” he said.

“You and Messer can do it,” Faith replied in a firm voice. “I’m going to stay with Officer Wolfe and her daughter.”

As Mac and Danny walked off, Horatio gave LaRusso a concerned look, “We’ll make the phone calls together and then I’ll take you to get something to eat,” he said in a tone that LaRusso knew to be final. “See you ladies later.”

“C’mon, Julliet, let’s help your Mom get back into bed,” Faith said in a gentle voice as she lifted the sleeping Julliet from the bed so that Emily could lie down. Julliet yawned and remained asleep while Emily got back into the bed.

Emily sighed as she lay her head on the pillow, “After I’ve had a good night’s rest, I’ll have to meet up with John and his mother to see if he can remember anything else,” she said in a tired voice. “Keep an eye out for Danielle’s arrival, okay Faith? I may be asleep when she comes, but let her know that I need to talk to her in the morning.”

“All right,” Faith replied as she watched Emily slowly fall asleep before turning away with Julliet in her arms.  
***********************  
The microwave clock switched to 10:00 as Bosco opened the microwave and pulled out a mug of now warmed up milk to drink so that he could stay awake for the rest of the evening. As he gripped the cup, Bosco could see that John was still sound asleep on the hide-a-bed, which was good; the kid hadn’t woken and tried to run away yet.

Suddenly, the very aged cordless phone, which was on the wall next to the microwave, rang. Bosco sighed, set the cup on the counter, and quickly picked up the phone. He then silently moved down the hall so not to wake John or his ma, who had gone to bed around nine, “Hello?” Bosco asked in a quiet voice just outside the bathroom door.

Bosco sighed as he heard Horatio’s voice on the other end; his concern grew, however, when he heard that Danielle’s house had burned down and that Danielle and Jacob had been hurt while rescuing Jimmy from the fire.

“…Jacob’s dead and Danielle wasn’t injured?” Bosco asked quietly, unaware that John had great hearing and had overheard what Bosco had said and was now slowly waking himself up. “Just a minute…”

As Bosco disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door to finish the conversation in private, John slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and slowly got out of bed; his mother had been hurt and was most likely at the hospital by now and John knew that he needed to find something to put over his feet since Bosco had hidden his shoes away.

Pain shot through John’s abdomen as he took a step towards the front closet to try and find some footwear and he carefully placed his good hand over the bandages as he walked to the closet. He then removed his hand and used it to open the closet, becoming annoyed when he saw that there were only coats hanging in the closet, but no shoes.

John winced as he suddenly felt pressure on his arm, as if someone was sticking a needle into it, "I just gave you a little shot of pure heroin, Johnny boy," he suddenly heard as an infuriated Edward appeared beside him holding an empty syringe in his hand. “You are a worthless creature and you will do what I tell you!”

“John?” John suddenly heard a concerned voice. “John, what are you doing looking through my ma’s coat closet?”

John said nothing, however, and merely clenched his good hand into a fist to try and make sense of the sudden memory he had just experienced, “John, are you okay?” Bosco asked as he put the phone back on its receiver and moved over to John’s empty bed. John blinked and took a deep breath, continuing to stare at the coats before him.

“I heard what you said about my mom being in a fire,” John finally said in a hollow voice. “I want to go see her.”

Bosco sighed, “Your mom’s fine and just has to stay in the ER overnight for observation,” he replied calmly. 

“Give me some shoes so I can go and visit her,” John said as he turned to face Bosco. “It’s a long walk from here.”

Bosco suddenly looked very concerned, “It’s 10 P.M. and you just got out of the hospital this afternoon,” he replied in a concerned, yet very firm tone. “I’m not about to let you take off on foot when you should be in bed asleep.”

“I’ve taken off at night before and nothing bad has ever happened,” John replied, wincing as he suddenly felt pain shooting up and down his healing abdomen. He quickly put a shaking hand over his stomach and turned away.

Bosco took another step forward when John suddenly gasped and huddled against the wall, “I just saw Edward give me some heroin in a needle,” he said in a slightly anxious voice, hoping Bosco would back off and leave him alone.

“John, there’s nobody here but you, me, and my ma,” Bosco replied in a concerned voice. “Are you seein things?”

John shook his head and lowered it, “I felt pressure on my arm and I was strapped to a table,” he replied softly.

Bosco swallowed hard, but said nothing as John turned to face him, “I don’t know if I’m starting to remember things or what, but I’m sorry if it scared you to hear that,” John said, seeing the very concerned expression on Bosco’s face.

“Lost memories don’t always return at the most convenient time,” Bosco replied gently. “I should know.”

John nodded and promptly sighed, “I feel like absolute crap now,” he said in a tired voice. “Can I sit down?”

“Do you want some green tea to help you be able to go back to sleep?” Bosco asked, suddenly realizing why he had made a huge pitcher of green tea as soon as supper was finished. “Your mom said you’re allowed to have it.”

John was quiet for a moment and then nodded, “Sure,” he replied in a quiet voice. “How do I make it?”

“Go and sit at the table,” Bosco said gently. “I made a whole pitcher of it after dinner and put it in the fridge.”

Swallowing hard, John shakily took a step and immediately winced. Worried that John was going to collapse right on the spot, Bosco hurried over to where John was standing and offered his hand silently just like Danielle had told him to do.  
“If I take another step, I’m gonna collapse,” John whispered, fully regretting ever getting out of bed and trying to leave.

Bosco nodded, gently placed his hands on John, and put an arm around the kid’s waist to support him. Like earlier in the evening, John didn’t pull away from the helping hand, “I got ya, John,” Bosco said in a quiet voice. “Just hang on to me, kay?”

John, however, remained silent as Bosco guided him over to the table and sat him down, “You’ve gotta learn how to be less of a light sleeper, John” he said in a gentle voice as he walked over to the fridge, opened it, and took out a plastic pitcher filled to the brim. “You’re as stubborn as your Grandpa Sully and your mom, you know that? You’ve got to give yourself time to heal.”  
Bosco wasn’t perturbed when he was likewise greeted with silence; he quickly and silently put the tea into a cup that was in the dishrack and brought it over to John. John stared at the tea and silently grabbed the cup handle with his good hand.   
“Relax, it’s not gonna kill ya,” Bosco commented in a gentle voice. “It might make you tired, but you need to go back to bed.”  
John nodded and silently drank the tea with a shaking hand, “Do you want me to get you an extra blanket from my ma’s linen closet for the hideabed?” Bosco asked as he lingered at the kitchen table. “It’s supposed to get really cold tonight.”

“Yeah, thanks,” John replied as he finished off the tea and set the cup down on the table. “I’m finished the tea, sir.”

Bosco blinked and couldn’t believe his ears; sir? He had only been called ‘sir’ by the criminals he helped get off the street and by ordinary citizens who he had no connection with. LaRusso had done it on their first shift together, but this was too weird.

“John, you don’t have to call me sir,” Bosco replied in a cautious voice as he picked up the cup. “I’m not used to that…”

Nodding, John immediately looked down at the table as if he had done something wrong, “I’m not upset about being called sir, ya know,” Bosco commented as he walked over to the sink and put the cup into it. “I’m just not used to hearing it a lot.”

“Can I go lie down now?” John asked in a semi-anxious voice as he looked up. “I’m starting to feel sort of tired.”

Bosco nodded and watched with astonishment as John stood up, shuffled over to the hideabed, and slowly sat down for only a moment before lying down, “Would you mind covering me up, Officer Boscorelli?” John asked in a quiet, very tired voice.

“It’s not a problem,” Bosco replied softly, quickly hurrying over to the hideabed and carefully putting the folded back sheets and thin blanket over John’s frail body so that he would have a comfortable sleep. “Do you want another blanket?”

John exhaled as his body began to loosen up, “I’m okay,” he replied softly. “Can I go see my mom at the hospital tomorrow?”

“Let’s see how you feel in the morning and we’ll talk about it,” Bosco replied firmly. “I’m not making any promises.”

Nodding, John sighed and allowed his eyes to slowly close, “Goodnight,” Bosco said in a soft voice to the sleeping teenager.

“G’night Officer Boscorelli,” John mumbled sleepily as Bosco sat in the easy chair and made himself comfortable.

**********************  
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Sully said in an anxious voice as he opened the door to let Mac and Danny come inside.

Mac nodded and closed the door after he and Danny were in the apartment. They could both see the box on the table and Ty lingering next to the table with a horrified expression on his face. Yelina was lingering in the kitchen doorway looking upset.

“You’re sure it’s Monte Parker?” Mac asked, snapping a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket on as he walked over to the table and carefully placed his hands on the box. “Last I heard, Monte Parker had quit the FDNY after a nervous breakdown.”

Sully nodded and sighed, “After I stopped Doc from being shot in the head, he was sent to Bellevue Mental Hospital,” he replied in a somber voice as he tried to figure out how he was going to tell Danielle and John. “I don’t know if he was released, or…”

“JT Sullivan may know,” Danny cut in solemnly. “If he’s able to remember anything at all, it would help us solve this case.”

Mac swallowed hard and carefully opened the box, revealing Doc’s battered and bruised head padded by tissue paper, “I really don’t know if Danielle will let you talk to John or if John can even remember all of what happened,” Sully replied worriedly.

“Do you think the attack on Emily Wolfe is connected to this head somehow?” Danny asked in a concerned voice.

Sully turned pale, “Emily was attacked?” he asked, realizing that Edward had been looking for John the entire evening.  
“Officer Wolfe is at Angel of Mercy with her daughter and a Detective Faith Yokas is keeping an eye on them,” Mac replied in a firm voice as he examined the note on the table. “My guess is that Edward assumed JT would be at his family home tonight?”

Sully nodded, “That Grissom guy’s instinct to move John to a safer location from the hospital was the right one,” he replied.

“Whoa!” David suddenly said as he came down the hallway to get some water and saw the head on the table. “What is that?”

Yelina immediately placed her hands on David’s shoulders, “You are supposed to be asleep,” she said in a firm voice.

“I was thirsty,” David replied as he pulled away and moved closer to the table to look at the head. “I-Is that Doc’s head?!”

Sully suddenly looked very heartsick, “Yes,” he replied in a somber voice. “Doc’s head was sent to John by Edward tonight.”

David paled and quickly turned away, “I think I’m gonna be sick,” he said as he hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

As Yelina hurried to the bathroom, Mac sighed, “Mister Sullivan, there’s something else you should be aware of,” he said in an equally somber tone. “Danielle’s house was set on fire this evening and many rescue workers, including Danielle, responded.”

Sully swore out loud and quickly turned away so that Ty wouldn’t see him cry, “While at the hospital, Danny and I got a call from the FDNY dispatch and it turns out Danielle is safe. However, her partner was killed and a Captain Doherty sustained serious gunshot wounds from a shooter that was hiding in the house to ambush whoever responded to the emergency call.”

“Has someone bothered to visit Captain Doherty’s wife, Kim?” Sully asked in an annoyed tone as he turned back around.

Danny shrugged, “I think Lieutenant Caine and Officer LaRusso were going to call her from the hospital,” he replied softly.

“Oh wonderful, so Kim gets to wake her two kids and drive herself to the hospital in the middle of the night while making herself sick with worry,” Sully snapped, deeply aggravated at Danny’s casualness. “Is anyone actually aware that Kim and Danielle are friends and that Kim’s going to flip out when she finds out Danielle risked her own life to save Jimmy?”

Mac cleared his throat, “The issue here is Monte Parker’s death,” he replied calmly. “According to what we’ve been able to determine in the days since Monte Parker’s abduction, he was abducted from Bellevue Mental Hospital and could have been held in the same location as JT Sullivan for quite a while. We need to talk to JT Sullivan as soon as possible…”

“Again, you’ll have to get Danielle’s permission,” Sully replied frostily. “Don’t bother her tonight at the hospital, though, or I’ll put in a call to some of my old colleagues to make you two take sensitivity training. Do we have an understanding?”

Danny looked almost amused, but Mac nodded and reached into his pocket, “Give Danielle this and tell her she can call me at any time to set up an interview with JT,” he said as he handed Sully a business card. “He’ll need a chaperone since he’s a minor and I want to get this settled before Sergeant Stetler from Miami decides to play hardball over that Stewart Otis case.”

“As much fun as it is discussing the crap my oldest grandson will have to deal with very soon, I am putting an end to this meeting and I’m also gonna have to ask that you take Doc’s head with you,” Sully replied as he took the card. “It’s getting late and I’m sure that Lieutenant Davis also has to get back on duty. I’m sure we have more to talk about, but not tonight.”

Realizing that Sully’s patience was quickly thinning, Ty hurried over to the front door and quickly opened it, “Good night, Mr. Sullivan,” Mac said as he quickly packed up the head and carried it to the door. “Please try and have a good evening.”

Sully sighed and remained silent as Mac and Danny left the apartment, “I guess I had better phone Bosco and tell him about Doc,” he said with a deep sigh in his voice. “I am not looking forward to telling John about Doc being kidnapped and killed.”

Swallowing hard to keep the tears in his eyes from spilling down his face, Sully grabbed the phone off the counter and quickly dialed the number that Bosco had given him earlier that day. There was silence and then groggy talking on the other end.

“Bosco, I know it’s late, but it’s Sully,” Sully said solemnly into the phone. “I have some really, really bad news for you.”

There was soft talking and Sully sighed, “Danielle is fine,” he replied calmly. “Bosco, how are things going over there?”  
Ty silently slipped out and closed the door behind him as Sully listened to Bosco say that John had briefly woken up and tried to leave when he heard that Danielle was at the hospital, but he had gone back to bed after a chat and some green tea, “Bosco, I have some really bad news about Doc,” Sully said into the phone. “Edward sent John a box with Doc’s head in it tonight.”  
**************************  
“…For heaven’s sakes, I had to phone my mother in the middle of the night to come and look after my kids!” Danielle suddenly heard a familiar voice yell as she weakly made her way down the hallway towards the staff lounge. “…Where’s Jimmy now?”

Kim must have gotten here safely. Danielle thought as she slowly moved into the dimly lit staff lounge and sank into the easy chair that was closest to the door. She had abandoned the fire gear in the ambulance and had only stuck around the bay long enough to hear the paramedics talking about Jacob being a DOA; there had also been mention of a headless corpse in the fire.

A faint cough escaped her lips and Danielle slouched in the chair, aggravated that her paramedic uniform didn’t provide much comfort or warmth to her tired body. As she sat there, Danielle wondered how long it would be before someone found her.

Everything hurts. Danielle thought as she sat there in silence, trying to keep herself from shivering or bursting into tears.

The door slowly opened and Danielle sighed, “I know that paramedics aren’t supposed to hang out in here, but I just need a moment and then I’ll go,” she said in a faint voice even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to stand up without help.

“Captain Doherty’s in surgery,” LaRusso said in a soft voice as he lingered in the doorway. “It’s awfully dark in here, Danielle.”

Danielle nodded and winced as light flooded the room, “Are you all right?” LaRusso asked, suddenly noticing that Danielle was super pale and on the verge of going into shock. “My uncle made me get checked out even though I wasn’t inside the house…”

“I guess the house is a loss,” Danielle replied weakly as she struggled to keep from coughing again. “At least my kids are safe.”

LaRusso sighed and moved into the staff lounge, “On my way in here, I saw Detective Yokas sitting outside of a curtained area holding Julliet Wolfe in her arms,” he said in a concerned voice. “I asked what happened and she said Emily was attacked…”

“Edward was trying to look for John, no doubt,” Danielle replied in a hoarse voice as she suddenly broke off in a coughing fit.

Before LaRusso could offer help, the door opened again and Horatio came into the room followed by Mary Proctor, who was pushing an empty wheelchair, “Miss Sullivan, it’s time for you to get looked at,” Mary said in a very concerned voice.

“Before you go, Miss Sullivan, there is something more you should know,” Horatio spoke softly. “It’s about Monte Parker…”

Danielle frowned and she forced herself to stand up and face Horatio, “That headless body was Doc’s, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Horatio replied solemnly as he swallowed hard. “Monte Parker’s head was placed in a box and sent to your father’s apartment as a present for your oldest son. Detective Taylor and CSI Messer have taken the box into custody.”

Danielle nodded, “I’ll tell John in the morning,” she replied as she slowly sat in the wheelchair. “He should hear it from me.”

“For now, let’s get you looked at and settled on a bed for the night,” Mary said as she wheeled Danielle from the room.

LaRusso walked over to the coffee pot and Horatio remained in the room to wait for him, “You should get some rest yourself, Bobby,” Horatio said as he watched LaRusso get a paper cup and pour himself some coffee. “The IAB hearing’s tomorrow.”

“I know,” LaRusso replied as he stared at the coffee in his cup. “I finished all the paperwork at the Bed-Stuy firehouse.”

Horatio nodded and sighed as LaRusso threw the undrunk cup of coffee in the trashcan, “I hate coffee,” LaRusso said in a tired voice as he walked back across the lounge. “I am not looking forward to this hearing tomorrow. Everyone’s gonna be there.”

“Let’s just focus on the rest of tonight,” Horatio replied in a gentle, yet very firm tone. “You need some food and a rest.”

LaRusso sighed and moved towards the door, “I think I’ll leave the boys with Sully for the night since it’s already past their bedtimes,” he said in a tired voice as he and Horatio left the room. “I wonder if Aunt Yelina will come back to my house?”

“You only focus on getting some rest once we get to your house,” Horatio replied firmly. “I want you to take a sleeping pill with some tea before you go to bed. I know you’ve never been a fan of medication, but I bought you some eight-hour tablets.”

Nodding, LaRusso allowed his uncle to gently lead him out of the emergency room and into the night that had turned very cold.  
******************  
Vision Nightclub – Miami, Florida

The wind howled mercilessly as Ryan slipped into the nightclub and immediately went over to the bar. He couldn’t drink, but he had texted for help from a representative of Victims’ Assistance; he needed to tell someone about Ray’s relapse into drugs.

As Ryan sat at the bar, he ignored the aching in his body and tried not to think of how late it was or where he was going to sleep that night. Ray would continue to haunt him, as would the harsh beating administered by Bernard in that grungy alley. It would most likely stay green in Miami, Ryan thought, but as it drew closer to Christmas, a chill would fill the air or at least fill his heart.

“Ryan Wolfe?” a deep voice suddenly said as someone sat down next to him at the bar. “My name is Warrick Brown…”

Ryan’s eyes widened and he turned to see an African-American man seated next to him dressed in boots, jeans, a sweater, and a jean jacket with a small afro, “I’m with Victims Assistance and I’m also a Crime Scene Investigator from the Las Vegas Crime Lab,” Warrick explained as he pointed to the badge on his belt. “My boss, Gil Grissom, gave me a call that you had asked for help from the organization regarding someone else in the organization? I was in Miami anyway, so Grissom sent me over.”

“I was recruited to be a worker for Victims Assistance by Raymond Caine and I saw him high tonight,” Ryan replied in a somber voice. “I didn’t actually see him take anything, but there was something off about him when we met earlier for a chat.”

Warrick nodded, “My advice is to lie low for a while, first of all,” he replied softly. “Raymond Caine is a bit of a loose thread…”

As Ryan and Warrick talked, they were unaware that Clavo and Ramon, who had just heard from Edward via phone and had ordered Stetler to send him to Miami in the morning for protection, were spying on them from a corner table. While Ramon watched Ryan talk to Warrick, Clavo was busy texting the information to Bernard so that Bernard could make a plan of action.


	18. Scattered Shards of Living

November 1st  
Dallenburgh Hotel – New York, New York

Between the pinstriped wallpaper, the old-fashioned furniture, and Edward’s snores coming from the next room, it was impossible for Catherine to get any more sleep in her bed. She promptly sat up and sat in her bed while she watched Rick talked to the sleeping Edward in the other room of the semi-disgusting suite she had rented for her stay in New York. Rick then sighed and walked out of Edward’s sleeping area.

“Edward wants to go back to Miami later today,” Stetler replied in a soft, but very anxious voice. “I have to go to an IAB hearing, though…”

Catherine sighed and rolled her eyes, “Let me guess, you want me to babysit him until you can get out of New York?” she asked dryly.

“Catherine, I don’t ask for a lot,” Stetler replied nervously as he sat down on the bed and took her hands. “I just need this favor…”

There was silence and then Catherine nodded, “Before you go, Rick, I want you to promise me something,” she said in a tired voice. “After you’ve come back to Miami and squared things with Bernard, I want you to come to Brazil with me to find out where Lindsay is.”

“I promise,” Stetler replied in a soft voice as he caressed Catherine’s hands. “After we find Lindsay, we can have our happily ever after.”

Catherine smiled, “I didn’t think I’d fall in love with you when I came to Miami with Warrick three years ago,” she said softly.

“Life has funny ways of surprising people,” Stetler replied softly, frowning as he suddenly felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket.

Stetler sighed, released Catherine’s hands, and got his cell-phone out of his pocket, “This is Rick,” Stetler said into the phone, wincing when he heard Clavo’s voice tell him that a Vegas CSI named Warrick and Ryan Wolfe were talking at a bar last night and that Ray Caine had slipped back into his former drug habit. Stetler swallowed hard and suddenly felt ready to throw up all over the bed. “…Clavo, yes, I’m still on the line.”

There was mumbling and then Stetler sighed, “All right, goodbye,” he said in an exasperated voice as he hung up the phone. “Oh man…”

“Wait, what’s Warrick doing in Florida?” Catherine asked, suddenly frowning. “Grissom usually likes him to stay in Vegas and work…”

Stetler thought for a moment and then groaned, “Your buddy Grissom probably doesn’t trust me and he probably sent Warrick to Miami to see what kind of dirt can be dug up on me,” he replied in an anxious voice. “Once I get back to Miami, I have to lie low for a while and pretend that I actually care about the miscreants in the PD and the CSI lab. I’ll start by clearing Horatio’s nephew for duty and rehiring Ryan Wolfe...”

“The one who’s sister is the former NYPD cop?” Catherine asked in a curious voice as Stetler pocketed the phone and got up.

Stetler nodded as he straightened his tie, “Unfortunately, I have to now run and catch a cab if I’m going to arrive at the IAB hearing on time,” he said in an apologetic voice as he turned to face Catherine. “Bernard’s got a plane he wants you to use when you get to LaGuardia.”

“All right,” Catherine replied stiffly as Stetler kissed her cheek and quickly left the hotel room. “Hurry back to my arms soon, Rick.”  
***********  
Swallowing hard, John slowly walked into the Angel of Mercy Emergency Room and quickly spotted his mother asleep on a gurney in an examination area that was closest to the desk. He suddenly doubled over and found himself grabbing hold of the wall closest to him.

“John, are you all right?” Bosco, who had let John go ahead of him, asked as he came into the ER and saw John leaning against the wall.

John sighed, “Just give me a minute,” he replied in a faint voice. “I’m just a little sore from walking in here so fast from the car.”

Bosco sighed and grabbed an empty wheelchair that happened to be nearby, “Sit down,” he replied in a firm voice. “Take a breather.”

“Wheelchairs are for people who are in the hospital,” John argued in a tired voice. “I don’t need a wheelchair, Officer Boscorelli.”  
Bosco scoffed, “You only have two choices, John,” he replied firmly. “Either you sit down and we go see your mom or we go back to my ma’s.”

John sighed, but slowly sat down in the wheelchair, “Better?” Bosco asked in what sounded to John like a parental voice. 

“Yeah,” John replied, unaware that his mother was awake and had been silently watching the entire scenario with slight amusement.

Bosco nodded and silently watched John put his feet on the footrests before slowly wheeling the chair over to Danielle’s bed, “Hi Mom,” John said in a quiet voice as he gazed at Danielle, who was in scrub pants and a loose shirt instead of a gown with an IV in her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Oh honey, I’m all right,” Danielle replied softly as she smiled at him. “I just got a little overheated in the fire and the IV’s just a precaution.”

John nodded silently, “Honey, I’ve got something to tell you,” Danielle continued softly. “It’s about the fire I responded to last night…”

“Should I leave you two alone?” Bosco, who was still reeling from Sully telling him about Doc’s death last night. “I can go somewhere.”

Danielle sighed and shook her head, “I need you here, Maurice,” she replied in a solemn voice as she gently took John’s hands in her own. “John, sweetie, Doc’s body was found last night in the fire that destroyed our house. The NYPD wants to talk to you about that a little later today…”

“Why would they want to talk to me about Doc’s death?” John asked nervously, suddenly feeling as if he had been dunked headfirst in a pool of ice water. “I don’t have anything to say about it.”

Danielle bit her lip, “The NYPD believes otherwise,” she replied softly. “Honey, if this is too…”

“Mom, where are we going to live now?” John asked in a soft voice, abruptly changing the subject. 

Danielle shrugged, “I’ll figure something out,” she replied softly. “Everything will work out for us.”

“When is Doc’s funeral going to be?” John asked in a more somber voice. “I-I want to be there.”

Danielle nodded and shrugged, “Let’s not focus on that now,” she replied softly. “Tell me how your evening with Maurice and his mother was; I knew you’d be safe with them for the evening.”

“It was all right,” John replied softly, avoiding his mother’s concerned gaze. “I’m still a little tired.”

Bosco shot a concerned look at John and was about to suggest that they cut the visit shot when Kim suddenly came down the hallway with her mother, who was holding Joey’s hand and pushing Camille in a pink stroller. Danielle immediately sat up, but John released his mother’s hand and looked at the floor.

“Kim, how’s Jimmy?” Danielle immediately asked as Kim walked over to her. “I’ve been so worried…”

Kim sighed, “He’ll be okay,” she replied, not wanting to go into detail with John and Bosco there.

“Kim, I tried so hard to get him out as fast as I could,” Danielle continued in an anxious voice.

Nodding, Kim gently patted Danielle’s hand, “Mom, I need to get some water,” John said in a nervous voice as he struggled keep calm in front of Kim and Bosco. “My throat’s a little dry…”

“We’ll leave you ladies to talk,” Bosco said in a firm voice. “C’mon, John, I’ll take you to get a drink.”

John sighed, “The fountain’s not that far,” he replied in a dead voice. “Can’t I just walk to it?”

Bosco gave John a look as if he was trying to read John’s mind, “Kim, would you mind wheeling John to the fountain near the staff lounge, please?” he asked in a firm voice. “I want a moment with Danielle.”

“Mom, can you take Joey and Camille out to the car?” Kim asked, turning to her mother with a concerned expression on her pale and overtired face. “I’ll be along shortly and then we can take Joey to school.”

Kim’s mother nodded and carefully escorted Joey and Camille away, “You only get to stand while you’re taking a drink,” Bosco said in a tone that warned John to listen to what he was told. “Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it,” John replied in a soft voice, deeply surprised that Bosco actually seemed to care.  
As Kim wheeled John away, Bosco looked back at Danielle and saw that she was smiling, “Maurice, how on earth are you and John getting along so well?” she asked in a surprised voice as she laid back.

“John is the type of kid who needs to know that he’s cared about,” Bosco replied, not willing to admit that John reminded him of his teenage self. “Anyway, Danielle, there’s something I want to talk to you about; it’s about an option you, John, David, and Ellie might have about where to go after the dust settles.”

Danielle sighed and pulled her blanket further up her body, “My dad will probably let us stay with him for a while until I can work something out with the insurance company,” she replied tiredly. “He’s taking LaRusso’s kids to school with David and Ellie this morning since Detective Salas isn’t able to do it.”

“LaRusso’s meeting with IAB is this morning, that’s probably why,” Bosco replied stiffly. “I tried to talk my boss into letting me attend so that I could support LaRusso, but he told me no and to work at three.”

Danielle smiled, but Bosco sighed, “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something important,” he continued before Danielle could speak. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I really feel like it’s the right direction I want to take in my life; I’ve grown to love you and your kids, Danielle…”

“Maurice?” Danielle asked in a shocked voice, her eyes widening as Bosco got down on one knee.

Bosco smiled as he reached into his pants pocket, pulled out the box, and opened it, “Danielle Ellen Sullivan, I love you with all of my heart, mind, and soul,” he said tenderly. “Will you marry me?”

Tears suddenly filled Danielle’s eyes, “Yes Maurice, I will,” she replied, trying to compose herself as she slowly sat up to get a better look at him. “I’ve loved you for so long and I’ve been so afraid to say…”

Bosco grinned, quickly stood up, and slipped the ring on her left index finger. As they kissed, a burst of applause broke out at the nurses’ station, as a group of nurses had seen Bosco’s heartfelt proposal.  
**************  
The door to the staff lounge was slightly ajar as Kim wheeled John towards the water fountain, “…You should be in bed resting,” Kim suddenly heard Faith say in a concerned voice. “…You leave later…”

“Isn’t that Officer Wolfe, Kim?” John asked, recognizing Emily’s voice even though it was very weak.

Kim frowned and tapped on the side of the fountain, “Hurry up and get a drink,” she replied gently.

A loud wail suddenly filtered out of the lounge, startling both John and Kim, “Oh Julliet, shh,” they suddenly heard Emily say in a slightly anxious voice. “Faith, can you please get her something?”

“Officer Wolfe?” John asked in a soft voice as he slowly got out of the wheelchair and walked into the dimly lit lounge. He was shocked to see Emily sitting on the couch with her head down while Faith sat beside her with Julliet in her arms. “Oh, Detective Yokas, hi. I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Suddenly concerned by how thin and pale John looked in the dim lights, Faith eyed him for a moment before nodding, “I guess you’re here visiting your mom?” she asked in a concerned voice. 

“Officer Boscorelli was kind enough to drive me here since I stayed at his mother’s place last night with him,” John replied, unaware that Kim had come into the room behind him. “My mom’s doing okay.”

Faith nodded, but said nothing, “Officer Wolfe, are you okay?” John asked, peering at Emily curiously.

“John, I was attacked in my hotel room last night by some people who were looking for you,” Emily replied, still keeping her face hidden. “I didn’t tell them where you were and that angered them.”

John nodded and Kim promptly cleared her throat, “John, I’m going to help you be able to remember what happened to you so that you’re not torn apart in the upcoming investigation,” Emily said as she looked up at him, revealing her battered face. “You’ll be asked to return to Miami with your family and talk about what happened, but you’ll be asked to do some counseling with me first to see if you’re going to be able to endure being on the stand in a court of law. If you’re willing and able, I can work with you.”

“Does my mom know about this?” John asked in an unusually quiet voice. “She knows I’m scared.”

Emily sighed, “Your mom and I have been keeping in touch since before you were kidnapped and she’s well aware of everything,” she replied in a calm, yet determined voice. “She said that I can also keep you aware of things since you need to be prepared to handle them. You’re only 16, but you’re very strong.”

“Are you headed home to Miami today?” John asked, remembering hearing that being mentioned.

Emily nodded and Julliet suddenly quieted, “I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and my doctor thinks it best that I come back to Miami immediately for treatment,” she replied in a soft voice. “You can tell your mother if you want to, but your grandfather already knows; he’s been a great help to me…”

“You’re a lot stronger than me if you’ve got cancer and you’re still wanting to help me,” John cut in, his voice full of awe and anxiety. “I’m still having a lot of problems remembering what exactly happened.”

Emily sighed, “I don’t want you forcing yourself to remember,” she replied in a stern voice. “Until the time comes that you’re called back to Miami, I want you to focus on recovering. I’m very sure that your mother, grandfather, brother, sister, and Officer Boscorelli all want to help you, so let them, okay?”

“John, we should get some water and get back to your mom before she and Bosco wonder where we are,” Kim cut in even though she knew John was getting advice that he needed. “See you later, Emily, Faith.”

Swallowing hard, John slowly left the room with Kim at his heels, “Faith, I should call Ryan and let him know that I’ll be in Miami by tonight,” Emily said tiredly as she took her cell-phone from her purse and quickly accessed her ‘Contacts’ list; she then scrolled the small list until she found ‘Ryan Wolfe.’

“I’ll take Julliet and get her something to eat,” Faith replied as she stood up with Julliet in her arms. “I’ll be back in a few minutes and I’ll bring you back something; you need your strength for travelling today.”

Emily nodded and dialed Ryan’s number with trembling fingers as Faith left the room with Julliet.  
********************  
Miami, Florida

Bzzz…Bzzz…Bzzz…

Ryan could hear his cell-phone going off, but he couldn’t move; there was something warm and heavy on top of him and something soft under his head. He was feeling horribly tired and yet, he couldn’t stay asleep forever. Soon enough, Emily would come home and start treatment and he needed to get a job.

Letting out a faint groan, Ryan extended his arm and felt his cell-phone sitting on top of something wooden. As he was about to pull it back towards him, he suddenly felt a gentle hand on top of his.

“You might wanna wake up before you grab your phone so it doesn’t get lost in the bed,” a gentle, yet very familiar voice suddenly spoke as Ryan felt his hand being released. “You still seem out of it.”

Ryan opened his eyes and was shocked to find Tim standing near the bed holding his cell-phone in one hand and a wrapped icepack in the other, “Speedle?” Ryan asked, surprised that his voice was so weak.

“It’s good to see that you didn’t die,” Tim replied in a firm voice. “You still look like crap, though.”

Ryan frowned, “Where am I?” he asked in a shaky voice. “I feel like I’m in some sort of bed.”

“Some guy named Warrick dropped you off at my parents’ house and said that he found you passed out in an alleyway,” Tim replied, frowning at how sick Ryan sounded. “You’ve been dead to the world in this guest bedroom since last night and my mom’s almost ready to call an ambulance to come get you.”

I was talking with Warrick about Ray Caine and then I left Mandango about one a.m. Ryan remembered as he struggled to ignore the look Tim was giving him. I don’t remember what I did after I left…

“Your sister’s calling, by the way,” Tim said as he held up the phone. “Do you wanna answer it?”

The mention of Emily prompted Ryan to grab the phone from Tim’s hand just in time to see a small text message appear on the screen, “Emily’s coming home tonight,” Ryan croaked. “S-She was attacked last night at her hotel room, but she’s okay. I-I have to get up and get a job because she needs treatment…”

“Treatment?” Tim asked, wondering what Ryan was talking about. “Why does Emily need treatment?”

Ryan sighed, which he immediately regretted because of the pain in his chest, “She got diagnosed with cancer during her stay in New York and Doctor Loman wants her to come back to Miami for treatment.” 

Pain suddenly surged through Ryan’s chest and he let out a small gasp, “I hurt a lot,” he hissed in a faint, groggy voice, knowing he was in no shape to go to the airport to get Emily and Julliet that evening.

“What time does Emily’s plane come in?” Tim asked in a concerned voice. “I can go to the airport.”

Ryan peered at the phone, “Around five, I think,” he replied groggily. “I can’t think too clearly.”

“I think my dad’s bringing you soup from his restaurant because he knows you’re sick,” Tim commented in a gentle voice, worried that Ryan would get in a wreck if he tried to drive himself to the airport. “Why don’t you just stay in bed for now and I’ll see if my mom can make you some tea or something…?”

At the mention of tea, Ryan winced and shook his head, “I just wanna sleep,” he replied groggily.

“No, you are going to drink something,” Rosa Speedle, who had overheard part of Tim and Ryan’s conversation, said as she entered the bedroom with a large cup of steaming liquid in her hands that had a crazy straw in it. “Timothy, help Ryan sit up so he can drink some of my special chamomile tea.”

Ryan groaned as Tim helped him sit up, but remained otherwise quiet, “You’ll be staying here until you’re well enough to look for another place,” Rosa said as she gently put the straw in his mouth.

Ryan remained silent as he slowly drank the tea; it wasn’t an ideal plan for him to mooch off of the Speedles as a sick houseguest for the next few days, but it would give him time to figure out a plan.

“Emily and Julliet can stay here too when they return to Miami, Ryan,” Rosa continued softly. “I overheard you telling Timothy that they were flying in tonight. Timothy, you can take our car and I believe there’s a carseat in the garage. You do know how to put a carseat into a car, right sweetie?”

Ryan suddenly groaned as he drank the last of the tea and spat the straw out, “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Rosa replied gently as she gently patted Ryan’s hair. “Get a little sleep, okay?”

Ryan’s only reply was to close his eyes, “I slipped a sleeping pill into the tea like you suggested,” Rosa whispered as she and Tim left the bedroom so that Ryan could sleep. “I don’t think he’s been taking his OCD medication and I don’t know how he’s been taking care of himself while Emily has been away.”

“I hate that Rick Stetler for the humiliation he put Ryan through!” Rosa exclaimed as they entered the well-kept kitchen and she put the cup in the sink to wash later. “Are you absolutely certain that Lieutenant Caine has no idea what’s been going on at the Crime Lab while he has been in New York?”

Tim sighed, “Stetler’s in New York right now too, so I’m thinking of going to the Chief and asking if there’s some way to get Ryan his job back in the lab,” he replied softly. “Calliegh’s the temporary supervisor, but she’s not able to make any changes without Horatio; that’s Stetler’s new rule.”

“I hope Lieutenant Caine comes back soon,” Rosa said in a worried voice. “I don’t like all of this.”

Tim nodded, but said nothing; he had spoken with Horatio on the phone earlier in the morning and, after secretly updating him on Stetler’s actions, was told that Horatio wouldn’t return to Miami until LaRusso was cleared by the NYPD IAB and was able to leave New York with his sons and never look back. 

It was bad enough that Warrick had confided in him that he was there to monitor Ray Caine’s activities at Ryan’s request; Tim had figured that Ray Caine was dead until Warrick had told him otherwise.

*********************  
Conference Theatre - IAB Headquarters – Manhattan, New York

The clock ticked to 9:00 and several well-built men in suits sat at a table at the front of the room, “By the authority of the New York Police Department, I declare this inquiry in session,” Markum Tyrell, who had been the head of IAB for the past several years, declared as he got to his feet. “The case before us is the investigation of Robert Horatio LaRusso-Caine, an NYPD officer who serves in the Bed-Stuy Precinct.”

LaRusso, who had worn his full uniform and his wrist sling, swallowed hard, but remained silent and waited for instruction. Behind him, Chief Morris whispered something to Sully, who had dropped the kids at school and had come with Yelina at LaRusso’s request. Sully, who was dressed in a suit, nodded.

“Officer LaRusso, please rise,” Markum said in an official tone. “You are here to answer for your unexplained departure from New York during the time when you had filed for medical leave.”

LaRusso nodded as he slowly stood up, “With all due respect, sir,” he replied in as brave a tone as he could muster. “I do believe that my personal affairs are of no concern to the New York Police Department and that such concern does not merit an investigation of this magnitude. I am allowed medical leave…”

“When a mentally ill woman who is still legally married to you decides to gain possession of a firearm and shoot up Manhattan, your personal business is no longer personal,” Markum replied in a stern voice, ignoring the looks of pure venom that Sully, Yelina, and Horatio were shooting in his direction.”

Stetler, who had come to the hearing against his wishes, sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes at LaRusso’s attempt to sound like Horatio; LaRusso was a lightweight and would always be one. 

“Officer LaRusso, I notice that your left wrist is in a cast and sling,” Markum said in a sharp tone as he focused his attention back on LaRusso. “Did your wife do that as well or did you goad her into assaulting you so that she’d appear violent and mentally unstable in the eyes of the law?”

LaRusso turned visibly pale at that comment and gripped the edge of the desk. Gritting his teeth in anger, Horatio quickly stood up and carefully helped LaRusso to sit, “Any further questioning will only take place if my nephew is allowed to sit down,” he said in a voice that warned anyone to argue with him.

“Fine,” Markum replied nastily, irked at Horatio’s intervention. “Officer LaRusso; your answer?”

Swallowing hard, LaRusso looked at Horatio uncertainly, “It’s all right,” Horatio whispered reassuringly, knowing that even being here was hard for his nephew. “Just tell the truth about why you left New York.”

“My wife assaulted me back when I was recovering in the hospital from a gunshot injury and I sustained numerous and very painful injuries from that assault,” LaRusso explained in a shaky voice. “It was then that I made the decision to take our children to Miami; it was for their safety as well as for my own.”

Yelina gasped and looked at Sully with an appalled expression on her face; Sully sighed and was deeply relieved that LaRusso was finally admitting he was an abused spouse; Chief Morris turned paler than a ghost and quickly made some notes on a pad of paper; Stetler rolled his eyes and Horatio sighed deeply.

“Officer LaRusso, that sounds like a lovely story,” Stetler said as he suddenly rose to his feet and walked to the front of the room. “However, I do have a concern; there is no report of you going to the Miami-Dade Police Department upon your arrival in Miami and divulging the circumstances of your arrival.”

Horatio immediately glared daggers at Rick, “There were extenuating circumstances, Rick,” he hissed.

“Gentlemen, this is an IAB hearing, not a bar room,” Markum interrupted sternly. “Sergeant Stetler, please return to your seat and refrain from interfering further or you will be escorted from this hearing and Lieutenant Caine, please take your seat. The question posed, however, is a valid one and I’ll allow it.”

LaRusso sighed deeply, “As Lieutenant Caine has stated, extenuating circumstances at the time prevented me from going to the Miami-Dade Police Department immediately after my arrival,” he explained, struggling to contain his emotions as he recalled those memories. “As I was getting my children settled in the apartment we had selected to be our new home, my daughter was kidnapped and I was injured again.”

“Margaret Adria is the name of your daughter, correct?” Markum asked as he flipped open a file that was on the desk in front of him. “It says here that Margaret and Amanda were murdered by a Fred Yokas?”

LaRusso swallowed hard, “That is incorrect, sir,” he replied softly. “Amanda’s death was suicide by cop, but Maggie’s death was caused by Fred Yokas. I’ve taken the liberty of doing a lot of research.”

“I can tell,” Markum stated, deeply concerned by how tired and pale LaRusso seemed to appear and how much more sicklier he looked when wearing his uniform. “Anyway, Officer LaRusso, you said you were injured in the attempt to save your daughter from being kidnapped. Who was Margaret’s kidnapper?”

There was silence and then LaRusso sighed, “It was a man named Clavo Cruz,” he replied in a voice that shook as each syllable was spoken. “I don’t know what happened between that and Maggie’s death.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Horatio said in a firm voice as he stood up. “It was at my insistence that Bobby go to the hospital to seek treatment for his injuries and I also insisted that he spend some time there recuperating even though he wanted to search for Maggie himself. If there’s blame to be had, I’ll take it.”

Markum nodded and turned to the other two officers; they exchanged whispers for several minutes while everyone sat in absolute silence, all of them very anxious about what the determination would be.

“Thank you for your comments, Officer LaRusso,” Markum finally said in an official tone. “I declare this inquiry closed for today and you should expect someone to contact you in the next couple of weeks.”

LaRusso nodded and was silent as the three IAB sergeants stood up, collected their things, and left the theatre in silence, “That didn’t take very long,” he said in a faint voice. “I feel like it took forever.”

Horatio nodded and smiled as Sully and Yelina came over to them, “You look like you’re gonna blow cookies, LaRusso,” Sully commented as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small water bottle that he had bought on the way to the inquiry. “Drink some of this; it will help you feel a little better.”

LaRusso nodded and took the bottle, “What is it?” he asked curiously as he opened the bottle up.

“Cold green tea,” Sully replied gently. “Bosco sent it along and he says to feel better soon.”

LaRusso sighed and quickly drank the entire bottle of tea, “Bosco tried to come, but Chief Morris told him no and to go to work at three,” Sully commented gently. “He just wanted you to know he cares.”

Before LaRusso could reply, Stetler sauntered over to them, “Congratulations on getting through the hardest part, Bobby,” he said in an official voice. “I hope this doesn’t drag out over Christmas.”

As Stetler walked away, Horatio looked down at LaRusso, “Do you feel like having an early lunch?” he asked in a fatherly tone. “You’ve been up since five a.m. and barely had any breakfast.”

LaRusso was quiet for a moment and then gazed up at the clock, “It’s already ten?” he whispered.

“Time passes by quickly when you’re stressed,” Horatio commented. “Are you feeling all right?”

LaRusso nodded, handed the empty bottle back to Sully, and slowly got to his feet, “I’m fine,” he replied in a tired voice. “Talking about all the horrible stuff has made me very tired, though; I’m not hungry.”

“Bobby, you need to eat so you can keep your strength up,” Yelina interjected in a concerned voice as she saw how pale LaRusso looked. “BJ and Adam need their father and you need to be strong for all of you.”

Biting his lip, LaRusso nodded, “Maybe I can keep soup down,” he replied softly. “Not much else.”

Sully smiled, “There’s a little café at the end of this block that serves a hearty chicken soup along with a lot of other wonderful meals,” he said in an enthusiastic voice. “You could use a good meal, LaRusso.”

“It sounds good, but shouldn’t I call Bosco to see if he and Danielle want to join us?” LaRusso asked in a concerned voice. “It’s bad enough that he wasn’t allowed at the hearing and I’m sure he’s upset…”

Letting out a sigh, Sully shrugged, “I’ll call Danielle from the restaurant to see what’s going on and whether or not they’re feeling up to coming,” he replied somberly. “She’s getting released today.”

“Can we please just get out of here?” LaRusso asked in a faint voice. “I just need a bit of air.”

Quickly recognizing that his nephew would have a panic attack if he didn’t get out of the IAB building quickly, Horatio nodded and carefully helped LaRusso leave the room. Chief Morris silently swore and quickly filed out after them, as he was determined to talk to Horatio about LaRusso’s poor condition.

“When Bobby finally goes to Miami, get him some help,” Sully whispered. “He needs some help.”

Yelina nodded, “Horatio is planning to talk to Bobby about that soon,” she replied softly. “Shall we?”

“You can call me John if you want, Detective Salas,” Sully said in a soft voice. “I don’t mind.”

Yelina offered a small smile, “Yelina,” she replied in a semi-amused voice. “They are waiting for us.”

“Do you think we’ll have a chance to talk more at the restaurant?” Sully asked as they moved towards the door that led into the long maze of hallways in the IAB building. “About life and everything…”

As they left the room, Yelina fought the urge to laugh; Sully was certainly starting to intrigue her. However, she knew it would most likely remain intrigue, as Sully was helping Danielle with her kids and LaRusso needed help with his sons and his life.  
*********  
Miami-Dade International Airport – 7 P.M.

Even though it was dark outside, Tim was still able to see the plane pull up to the gate and he had never felt so nervous in his life; it was fortunate that he had been able to get a hold of Marisol Delko, who was a friend of Emily’s, and ask her to come with him to collect Emily and Julliet from the airport that night.

Marisol, however, was also tired from her most recent cancer treatment and was sitting on an airport chair until Emily and Julliet actually got off the plane. Eric had wanted to come, but Marisol had asked him to buy some more marijuana for her so that she could abate the nausea that usually accompanied treatments.

Soon enough, the plane was at the gate and people started to file off. Tim frowned in concern when an attendant from the desk suddenly rushed into the gate with a wheelchair. Had something happened?

Almost immediately, the attendant came out of the gate pushing a battered looking Emily in the wheelchair and a blonde woman was following closely behind them with Julliet in her arms. Marisol immediately jumped to her feet and rushed over to Emily. As the two women hugged and exchanged quiet words, Tim and Faith silently regarded each other until Marisol and Emily were finished hugging.

Emily sighed as she looked at Tim, “I have phone calls to make after I find a place to stay and put Julliet to bed,” she said in a professional tone, suddenly realizing that Tim’s mother must have forced Ryan to recuperate from Bernard’s beating instead of coming tonight. “Thank you very much for coming, Tim and Marisol; it means a lot.”

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by being attacked in New York and by the treatments she would soon have to endure, Emily began to cry and quickly covered her face with her hands. Marisol quickly knelt down and enveloped Emily in a hug and the two of them quietly shared a tearful, yet quiet chat, earning looks from other passengers.

“Who are you and why are you holding Emily’s daughter?” Tim asked in a concerned voice, giving Faith a wary look; he didn’t know this woman nor did he know why Emily had allowed her to hold Julliet for the flight.

Faith sighed as she gently bounced Julliet, “Faith Yokas,” she replied softly. “I used to work with Emily at the 5-5.”

“I’m Tim Speedle,” Tim replied in a more cordial tone. “I work at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab; nice to meet you.”

Faith nodded and Emily promptly sighed as Marisol released her and stood up, “You don’t have to worry about a place to stay for the time being, Emily,” Tim spoke in a gentle voice. “My mother said you and Julliet can stay with my parents until things are better for you, Julliet, and Ryan. If you want, we can collect your stuff and go there.”

Swallowing hard, Emily nodded and was silent as Tim carefully wheeled her through the terminal while Marisol and Faith walked closely behind them, both of them silently fussing over Julliet and keeping a watch on Emily.  
**************  
Sully’s Apartment – New York, New York

It was quiet for the first time in what seemed like a long time. Bosco had taken Danielle and John from the hospital to Sully’s apartment, but had only stayed a few minutes before he left to get ready for work. Sully had spent some time at the restaurant with LaRusso, Horatio, and Yelina before Horatio and Yelina had taken LaRusso home to rest.

Danielle had spent the day alternating between resting, eating, showering, and taking care of John’s needs before her father had come home and told her to rest. Her father had also picked up David and Ellie from school to help her.

Now, while Danielle lounged on the couch and watched Wheel of Fortune at her father’s insistence, David and Ellie sat at the kitchen table coloring quietly in some old books that had been in the closet. David hated coloring, but he was willing to do it because Ellie had asked him to. John was sitting in the armchair in a corner of the living room.

“Mom, are you and Officer Boscorelli gonna get married before or after Doc’s funeral?” David suddenly asked, looking up from his coloring book at Danielle. Sully stopped washing dishes and gave David a concerned look.

Danielle sighed, “Maurice and I haven’t discussed any wedding plans yet,” she replied softly. “I’ll start planning Doc’s funeral service tomorrow, though; it was in his will that if anything were to ever happen to him…”

“Can I help with that?” John asked, suddenly looking up at his mother. “I want to and Doc would have wanted me to help.”

Danielle nodded and John stood up, “I’m gonna go check my sugar, take some insulin, and go to bed,” he said in a tired voice as he slowly moved across the living room and ended up sinking down on the couch. “Mom, can I sleep here tonight, please?”

“Sure,” Danielle replied gently as she slowly stood up so John could stretch out. “I’ll grab you a pillow and blanket.”

Sully, however, was quicker and abandoned the dishes to grab a pillow and blanket from the nearby basket of laundry that he had recently done in preparation for Danielle and her children’s stay. He quickly carried it over to the couch and gave it to Danielle.

“There you go, John,” Danielle said as she carefully put the pillow on the edge and covered him with the large blanket.

John swallowed hard, slowly lay down using his good arm, and within minutes, he was sound asleep. Danielle sighed, quickly shut the TV off and walked over to the table where David and Ellie were sitting. She gently kissed them both on the tops of their heads and then sat at the table between them. She knew that David had never liked coloring, but that he was trying to stay calm in light of Doc’s death; from what she had heard, David had seen Doc’s head on the coffee table while the detectives had been visiting her father and, despite her anger at their carelessness, Danielle knew that she needed to be strong for all of her children.

David and Ellie immediately hugged their mother and Sully watched the three of them for a moment, gazed at the sleeping John briefly, and then returned to doing dishes. With all that had recently happened, what would the future hold for them all now?


	19. Difficulties of Moving Forward

November 10

Cancer Center – Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital - Miami, Florida 

“Eric, you’re gonna be late for work again,” Marisol said sleepily as she nestled in the chair that she normally sat in during her chemotherapy session so it would be a comfortable experience. “You should go to work and I can take a taxi or bus home; I don’t want you getting fired because of me.”

Eric sighed and pulled a chair out from against the wall, “If you’re going to stay, at least get something to read or maybe a beverage for yourself,” Marisol continued, seeing that Eric was going to stay with her.

“I’ll be right back,” Eric promised, smiling as Marisol closed her eyes to relax. “Just take it easy.”

As Eric walked towards the door, he saw a woman in jeans, boots, a loose t-shirt, and sunglasses coming down the hallway pushing a beat up stroller that held a very thin little girl who’s blond hair was in a loose ponytail and whose outfit was much like her mother’s. A nurse was walking alongside them.

Deciding to be a gentleman and hold the door open for a bit before he went to get a drink and something to read, Eric opened the door, “Are you coming in here, miss?” he asked softly.

“Officer Delko, what are you doing here?” the woman asked, her voice suddenly shaking with fear.

Suddenly recognizing the voice, Eric frowned, “Emily?” he asked softly. “Is that really you?”

“Yes,” Emily replied in a soft voice, quickly removing her sunglasses. “What are you doing here?”

Eric sighed, “I’m sitting with Marisol while she does her chemotherapy treatment,” he replied.

Not wanting to talk to Eric and have her personal life end up all over the CSI lab, Emily nodded and pushed the stroller through the door. The nurse quickly followed after them, but Eric lingered silently at the door and watched as Emily talked with the nurse with an expression of utter fear on her face.

“…I’m not sure what I’m going to do with Julliet while I’m here,” Eric heard Emily say nervously as he walked over to where she and the nurse were standing. “I can’t possibly hold a child on my lap…”

Eric cleared his throat, “I can watch Julliet for you, Emily,” he offered gently. “I don’t mind at all.”

“I’ll set up your area,” the nurse said cheerfully as if the matter was settled. “Excuse me, please.”

As the nurse walked off, Emily sighed, “Ryan dropped me and Julliet off, but he had a meeting with Chief Burton of MDPD so he couldn’t stay or take Julliet with him,” she explained in a trembling voice. “I had the biopsy done while I was in New York and I came back to Miami so I could start treatment…”

Maybe Ryan’s is getting rehired. Eric silently mused, suddenly frowning as Emily placed a hand over her mouth and touched the wall for support, “This isn’t your first session, is it?” he asked worriedly.

“I had one on November third,” Emily replied softly. “The regimen I’m on is once a week right now.”

Eric nodded, “What kind of cancer?” he asked, unable to resist being curious about Emily’s health.

“Breast cancer,” Emily replied anxiously as she stepped away from the wall and slowly knelt down beside Julliet’s stroller to look at her daughter. “Julliet, honey, my friend Eric is gonna look after you while Mommy goes and has medicine that will help make her better; listen to Eric, okay?”

Julliet nodded and Emily gently kissed Julliet’s cheek before standing up again, “Thank you, Eric,” Emily said in a quiet voice just as the nurse came back to where they were standing. “Thank you very much.”

Eric nodded and watched silently as Emily followed the nurse over to the prepared chair. Emily sat in the chair and was quiet as the nurse attached the IV line to a small shunt that was in her arm. Eric was stunned; he hadn’t noticed the shunt earlier, but maybe he was too preoccupied with her being there.

Guilt suddenly filled Eric’s heart as he watched Marisol open her eyes and offer a hand to Emily; Emily obviously had more to her story than anyone knew and he had judged her harshly. His job as a CSI was to get all the facts before passing judgment and he had failed to do that with both Emily and Ryan.

“Uncle Eric?” a small voice suddenly spoke up, pulling Eric from his thoughts. “I’m really hungry.”

Eric sighed and knelt down beside Julliet, “What do you like to eat?” he asked in a soft voice.

Julliet shrugged and Eric quickly pulled out his cell-phone; he could phone Alexx and see what little kids Julliet’s age liked to eat without mentioning that he was looking after Julliet since Emily was undergoing chemotherapy and Ryan was unavailable. As a doctor, Alexx would be able to keep things confidential.  
****************  
Miami-Dade Police Department

“…Sergeant Stetler was very insistent that you be put back to work in the CSI lab immediately,” Chief Burton explained as he slid an MDPD badge across the desk to Ryan, who looked very tired and pale in the old suit he was wearing, not doubting bandages were hidden under it. “I am, of course, aware that you have physical limitations until that cast comes off, but I’m sure you’ll manage…”

Ryan nodded and picked up the badge with his right hand, “I can do some lab work with one hand,” he replied as he took the badge and slipped it over the pocket of his dress shirt. “Thank you for this.”

“I didn’t want to fire you in the first place, Ryan, but Sergeant Stetler had some pretty startling video evidence that left me little choice,” Chief Burton explained as he handed Ryan an ID card. “In the process of petitioning for your reinstatement, Sergeant Stetler said that the man is your brother-in-law and that the whole gambling scene was not of your choice; I trust that such a thing won’t happen again.”

Shaking his head, Ryan took his ID badge, “It won’t,” he replied softly. “I just really need this job.”

“Well, now that you have your ID and badge, I’ll walk you to the Crime Lab so you can get reacquainted with your colleagues and get a schedule,” Chief Burton said as he stood up. “Are you okay to do that?”

Nodding, Ryan slowly got to his feet and slowly followed Chief Burton out of the office and down the hallway towards the elevator. He could hear whispers among uniformed officers about his pale complexion and battered appearance, but for once in his life, Ryan didn’t care what others thought.

The elevator ride was quiet and Ryan continued to stay quiet as he and Chief Burton got off the elevator on to the connecting floor that the CSI Lab, which was almost a completely separate building that just happened to be connected to the MDPD. Chief Burton walked over to the desk, but Ryan stayed back.

“Ryan?” Alexx, who had just been on the phone with Eric and had given him a good list of foods that little kids Julliet’s age could eat without difficulty, asked as she came down the hallway on her way back to the M.E. lab to resume her work. She frowned at seeing Ryan’s face and the cast on his wrist.

Ryan immediately tensed, “Alexx,” he replied in a nervous voice. “W-What are you doing here?”

“I work here,” Alexx replied gently just as Chief Burton walked over to them. “Why are you here?”

Ryan swallowed hard, but Chief Burton immediately cleared his throat, “Doctor Woods, Mister Wolfe will be rejoining the CSI team as of today,” he explained firmly. “Have a good shift, Mister Wolfe.”

As Chief Burton left, Ryan looked around the lab nervously; could he really do this job again? He was so lost in thought that he didn’t see Alexx leave or someone watching him intently from an upper floor.  
*******************  
Devil’s Mansion 

“…Excellent,” Bernard said into the phone as he held James in one arm and the phone in the other and listened to Erica Sikes, who had been at the MDPD paying a speeding ticket and had seen Ryan come back to work that morning, talk. “…Keep an eye on him however you can and I’ll strike soon…”

There was more talking, but Bernard hung up the phone and immediately returned James, who clearly didn’t like being touched by him at all, to the small drawer that served as a crib. The door to his office suddenly opened and a nervous looking Edward, who had been brought back to Miami by Catherine and left alone because Catherine hadn’t wanted to stay in Miami long, quietly entered the large office.

“Things have fallen apart so quickly,” Bernard spoke in an icy tone as he glared up at Edward.

Edward nodded, but didn’t speak, “Stetler’s such a lightweight and his guilty conscience made him get Ryan rehired at the CSI lab this morning!” Bernard shouted as he slammed a fist down on his desk. “I don’t know WHY on earth you insisted using lightweights like Stella Bonasera, Catherine Willows, and Rick Stetler to help you and to carry out my plans! I could have used some of the Mala Noche…”

“I tried to beat Emily into silence,” Edward protested anxiously. “Rick and I visited her on Halloween.”

Bernard scoffed, “Idiot,” he replied in a cross voice. “Emily’s got lots of police officer buddies.”

“Dude, I can use the diplomatic immunity that the Cruz family offered me to make all of this go away,” Edward protested anxiously, deeply worried that Bernard would hurt him. “I can talk to Clavo…”

Letting out a deep sigh, Bernard shook his head, reached for the TV remote on his desk, and used it to turn the TV on the wall on to a news channel. Two uniformed officers were leading a handcuffed Catherine and Stella into an NYPD precinct while Mac and Gil silently followed after them.

“Whoa,” Edward replied in a shocked voice. “How did they get caught and Rick stayed out of trouble?”

Bernard sighed, but said nothing and instead focused on the news playing out in front of them.  
*****************  
IAB Headquarters – New York City

“I demand a lawyer!” Stella snapped, nearly spitting on the wall as a uniformed officer escorted her through the station and into a large interview room where a shaken Catherine was already sitting at a table across from a concerned looking Gil, Mac, and Flack. “Catherine, how could you do this?!”

Catherine glared at Stella but said nothing as she had been advised to stay quiet; she had decided to turn herself in for aiding in Edward Addison’s escape from New York because she was tired of hiding and was desperate to start looking for Lindsay even without Rick’s help. She had packed her things and gone to the NYPD earlier in the day, quickly explaining why she had aided in Bernard Marquez’s plans.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll bring Miss Bonasera and follow me, please,” Mac said in a sharp voice as he got to his feet and walked over to the handcuffed Stella. “I’m disappointed, Stella; I expected better from you.”

Stella swore and then remained silent as she was escorted from the room by Mac and the uniformed officers, even ignoring the media crowd that was in the hallway. Before Catherine, Flack, or Gil could speak, Stetler came into the room looking very anxious but calmed when he saw Catherine there.

“Rick, I told them about Bernard kidnapping Lindsay and sending her to Brazil,” Catherine said in an anxious voice as Stetler walked over to the table. “I can’t keep helping that psychotic monster.”

Stetler nodded and swallowed hard, “If you go to jail, I’ll wait for you because we made vows when we got married and I'm going to honor them,” he whispered as he took her hands in his own and held them. They were unaware that Horatio, who was waiting for LaRusso to get done with his own IAB meeting, was watching them through a small window in the room door.

“There’s not going to be any jail time for either of you if you co-operate in helping us catch Edward Addison,” Flack said in an anxious voice. “You won’t lose your jobs, either, if you help us.”  
*************  
Manhattan, New York

The traffic light changed to red and Sully sighed; he had to get everyone to school on time today.

“Grandpa Sully, can we listen to music?” David, who was sitting in the backseat with Ellie, Adam, and BJ, their winter coats, and all of their backpacks, whined eagerly. “We’re bored and school’s really far.”

Sully sighed and gazed at the passenger seat where John was asleep with his hood up and his jacket over his body while his worn backpack was on the car floor, “No, the radio stays off,” he replied, not wanting to wake John when John had suffered sleeping problems over the last few days because of Doc’s death.

Small scoffs filled the car, but were replaced by soft chattering as the light changed to green and Sully moved the car forward. He didn’t think that John should go back to school so soon, but Danielle wasn’t able to stay home and take care of him, as newly promoted Captain Walsh had ordered her to work.

Bosco had also been ordered to report to work, otherwise he would have taken the kids to school himself, Sully thought as he continued to drive; Adam and BJ were along for the ride because LaRusso’s final meeting with IAB was that day and Lieutenant Caine would also be in attendance. Hopefully…

“Pull over,” John’s soft, but very anxious voice suddenly spoke as John’s eyes fluttered open.

Frowning, Sully quickly parallel parked beside an empty stretch of curb and was shocked when John bolted from the car, “John!” Sully yelled, alarmed when John promptly threw up on the sidewalk.

“Eww,” David said in a disgusted voice as he quickly looked away from the window. “So gross.”

Sully, however, grabbed the keys, locked the kids in the car, got out, and hurried to John’s side, “I thought it would just go away when I got to school,” John whispered, tears rolling down his face as he stared at the vomit on the sidewalk. “I’m feeling really, really dizzy and my chest hurts super bad…”

“Panic attack,” Sully muttered as he silently got his cell-phone out of his pocket and dialed 9-1-1.

John wheezed and promptly threw up again, “…Yes, I’ll stay on the line, but could you please hurry it up?” Sully snapped into the phone. “My 16 year old grandson’s having a bad panic attack…”

Loud sirens filled the air and Sully set the phone on the sidewalk, “Try and take a deep breath, John,” Sully said as he grabbed John’s chin and forced his grandson to look at him. “I called 9-1-1.”

Shaking his head, John gagged and lowered his head against the sling that held his casted arm against his sweater, “…Hey Sully, what’s up?” Sully suddenly heard Carlos say from nearby. “What happened?”

“I was just driving them all to school and John suddenly told me to pull over,” Sully explained, backing up as Carlos approached John and knelt down in the vomit. “All of a sudden, John just puked everywhere.”

Carlos nodded and looked at John for a second before opening the med-bag he had brought with him, “I gotta roll up your sleeve for a moment, okay John?” he asked in a concerned, yet very gentle voice.

John shook his head and immediately hugged himself, “He’s been taking Doc’s death pretty hard,” Sully explained as Carlos watched John, at a loss for words of how to handle this situation. “Danielle got ordered in to work today, otherwise she would have kept him from going to back school.”

All of us have been taking Doc’s death pretty hard. Carlos silently thought as Grace came over to them with an oxygen tank, another medical bag, and a gurney, “John, you gotta let Carlos and Grace help you,” Sully said, worried as John refused to stop hugging himself and let anyone touch him.

There was a long period of silence and John suddenly went limp, “He’s unconscious,” Grace, who was concerned by John’s silence, reported as she looked at him and saw his eyes now closed. “Carlos…”

Sully’s eyes widened as Grace and Carlos carefully unwrapped John and gently got him on top of the waiting gurney, “Give him 100% O2 by mask,” Carlos ordered anxiously. “Sully, we gotta take him in.”

“I’ll follow in my car,” Sully replied in a concerned voice. “Angel of Mercy Hospital, right?”

Carlos nodded as Grace quickly placed the mask on John’s face and set the oxygen canister on the edge of the gurney, “Check his blood sugar,” Sully snapped as he moved back to his car. “John had breakfast, but I’m not sure if it was enough; Danielle tried to get him to eat more, but John snapped at her.”

“Right, we will,” Carlos replied in a concerned voice. “Grace, check his vitals and I’ll check his sugar.”

Nodding, Sully moved back to his car and saw that David, Ellie, Adam, and BJ were all watching Grace and Carlos work on John, “Mister Sullivan, what happened?” a concerned voice suddenly asked.

Sully turned and was shocked at seeing Yelina standing there in a pantsuit and heels with a small bag on her arm, “Detective Salas, what brings you here?” he asked, secretly pleased to see Yelina there.

“I was at Bobby’s meeting and I was getting him and Horatio some food,” Yelina explained as her eyes drifted to the kids locked in the car. “If you need to stay here, I can take the children to school.”

Nodding, Sully handed Yelina his car keys, “Thank you,” he replied in a relieved voice. “I-I’ve got to go.”

“Of course,” Yelina replied, frowning at how worried Sully looked. “I’ll call you a little later, all right?”

Trying to hide his nervousness, Sully nodded and hurried over to the gurney, “I’ll ride with John,” he said in a hushed voice, stepping back as Carlos and Grace loaded John into the back of the ambulance. 

Yelina moved over to the car, unlocked the driver’s side door, and got in, “Why isn’t your mother taking you all to school today?” she asked, pulling the door closed as she peered in the rearview mirror.

“Mommy’s working in Bed-Stuy today for her new boss,” David spoke up. “Grandpa offered to take us so she wouldn’t lose her job since Maurice is really busy at work too. John had a nightmare last night…”

Even though her eyes were focused on the road, Yelina nodded, “Did he now?” she asked worriedly.

“Yup,” David replied softly. “He threw up from it and then sat up because he was scared to sleep.”

Compassion filled Yelina’s eyes, “Tell me everything that happened last night, David,” she said gently.

“John’ll get mad,” David replied nervously as he looked at Yelina worriedly. “He made me promise.”

Yelina sighed, “David, John is sick this morning and in order for him to get better, the adults need to know how to help him,” she explained in a gentle voice. “Can you please let all of us help your brother?”

“Okay,” David replied in a somber voice, knowing that John needed help to recover from his sadness.  
*************  
LaRusso sighed as Tyrell and the other IAB Sergeants filed into the room and all took their seats behind the official table. The back door opened and Horatio entered the room looking rather determined.

“Lieutenant Caine, we had an agreement,” Markum spoke testily. “You are to wait outside today…”

Horatio glared right back at Markum, “I will NOT allow Officer LaRusso to be torn to shreds,” he replied in a dark voice, daring any of the sergeants to remove him or protest. “I assume you have a verdict?”

There was quiet murmuring, but Markum nodded, “We have decided to clear Officer LaRusso of all responsibility relating to the issues at hand,” he replied in an official tone. “This hearing is adjourned.”

LaRusso breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and quickly left the room. He immediately went into a wall sit in the hallway and let out a terse, panic-filled breath that he had been holding inside of himself.

“The offer’s still there, you know,” Horatio said in a quiet voice as he exited the room and walked over to where LaRusso was sitting against the wall. “You’d get a promotion to Detective with the new job.”

LaRusso sighed, “I want to run it by BJ and Adam first, but I’m all for going home,” he replied softly.

“Okay,” Horatio said, unconcerned that LaRusso referred to Miami as home. “Want some breakfast?”

LaRusso nodded, “How did you know that I forgot to eat?” he asked as he stood up. “I didn’t…”

“I know you,” Horatio replied calmly as they left the building. “You’re very stubborn; just like me.”

For the first time in a long time, LaRusso chuckled, “I will call Chief Burton tomorrow and see when Detective Hagen will be available to begin training you,” Horatio continued as they walked down the sidewalk towards a small diner that was right on the corner. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

LaRusso nodded, but didn’t respond, “Bobby?” Horatio asked in a concerned voice. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” LaRusso whispered even though he had just been thinking about Amanda and how she used to physically and verbally berate him every day just because she was often off her meds. “I was just…”

Horatio sighed and moved close to LaRusso, “After you and the boys are moved to Miami, I want you to go to counseling,” he whispered in a soft voice. “I think it’ll help you be able to recover from all of this.”

“My mom would want me to, wouldn’t she?” LaRusso asked quietly. “I need to be able to feel better.”

Horatio nodded as they reached the diner, “Yes, and your children do too,” he replied calmly.

“Okay,” LaRusso replied softly. “I’ll give recovery my all for everyone in my life, especially for myself.”

Horatio nodded, “You are so much like your mother,” he replied as they walked to the diner counter.  
*****  
“Boscorelli, you have a phone call,” Chief Morris said as Bosco came down the stairs from the locker room with his radio to go out on solo patrol since LaRusso wasn’t back yet. “It’s a John Sullivan.”

Frowning, Bosco walked over to the desk and took the phone, “This is Officer Boscorelli,” he said.

“Bosco, it’s Sully,” Bosco heard on the other end of the line. “I can’t reach Danielle at work…”

Bosco sighed, “Why do you need to reach Danielle, Sul?” he asked worriedly. “What happened?”

“John got sick this morning when Yelina was taking him to school with David, Ellie, BJ, and Adam,” Sully’s voice replied in a concerned tone. “I’m at Angel of Mercy Hospital with John right now, but they made me wait by the desk while they work on him. I think John’s been having night terrors about Doc…”

Bosco bit his lip, “Boscorelli, anything wrong?” Chief Morris asked, seeing the look on Bosco’s face.

“Danielle’s phone is off and Sully trying to reach her,” Bosco replied somberly. “It’s about John.”

Chief Morris frowned and nodded, “Yeah, Captain Walsh doesn’t like his paramedics to have their cell-phones on while they’re in the rig because he thinks it’s a distraction,” he replied sadly. “However, I did get access to the roster today and I know that Danielle’s riding with some guy named Stu Lotta-Zs’.”

“Let me guess, Stu keeps his cell-phone on despite Captain Walsh’s rule?” Bosco asked softly.

Chief Morris nodded, “I’ll give Stu a call for you,” he promised sincerely. “Tell Sully hello for me.”

Bosco nodded and put the phone back to his ear as Chief Morris walked off, “Chief Morris is going to phone Stu Lotta-Z’s since he and Danielle are riding together today,” he explained to Sully. “Should…”

“Bosco, just stay at work,” Sully’s voice replied, cutting Bosco off. “I’ve got to go for now. See you.”

There was a click on the other end, indicating that Sully had hung up. Bosco sighed and also hung up before thinking of some of the V.A. friends he had recently made and how they could help John. A quick dig through his pockets helped him find a small list of emergency contact numbers for the organization.  
*****  
Miami-Dade Police Department/Crime Lab - Miami, Florida 

The warm sun shone down on Ryan as he sat on the bench next to the Crime Lab to calm himself down before he went back inside. He had been reacquainting himself with the lab when he had unexpectedly encountered Calliegh and Tim working in one of the labs with Natalia. They had seen him and that had been enough to set Ryan off; he had made a beeline for the elevator and escaped to calm himself.

“Finding that getting back in line isn’t as easy as you expected, Wolfe?” Ray’s voice suddenly asked.

Suddenly feeling nauseous, Ryan turned and saw Ray, who was dressed in jeans, boots, a hoodie with the hood up, and sunglasses, sitting next to him, “What are you on, Ray?” Ryan asked, noticing the burns underneath Ray’s very pale nose. “I told you that I can’t work for you anymore because of…”

“The drugs actually help me keep calm,” Ray replied unsteadily. “How’s your wrist, by the way?”

Ryan scoffed and got up, “I’ve got to get back to work,” he replied, gasping as Ray grabbed him.

“You listen to me, Wolfe!” Ray shouted angrily as he gripped Ryan’s arm just above the cast. “Bernard isn’t going to let go of this, no matter how hard you try to run. I’m your only shot at staying safe!”

Ryan hissed, “Let go of me,” he whispered, unaware that Natalia had followed him out and was now watching with horror as Ray gripped Ryan’s arm and didn’t let go. “Ray, you need some help…”

“Ray, what are you doing?” Natalia asked as she came up to them. “Let go of Ryan’s arm right now.”

Ray snarled at Natalia, but released Ryan’s arm, “Victims Assistance is such a joke,” he hissed as he stood up and backed away. “You’ll eventually see it too, Natalia; nobody is really safe anywhere.”

Before Ryan or Natalia could reply, Ray set a small device on the ground that promptly went off, engulfing Ryan, Natalia, and the Miami PD and Crime Lab in smoke. Loud alarms suddenly blared and Ryan began to cough anxiously both from panic and from inhaling the large amount of smoke.

Voices filled the air, “RYAN!” Ryan heard Natalia scream. “Tim, Calleigh, I can’t find Ryan!”

I don’t want to be seen as a disgrace on my first day back. Ryan thought worriedly as he suddenly felt his throat closing up and his awareness of things around him fading. He felt a hand on his arm and screamed loudly as memories flooded his tired mind, but the hand didn’t move from his arm.  
*****  
Cancer Center – Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital - Miami, Florida 

“Miss Wolfe?”

Emily sighed tiredly and opened her eyes to find a nurse standing beside her chair, “Miss Wolfe, your treatment’s finished,” the nurse said in a gentle voice. “Your ride is waiting to take you home.”

“My ride?” Emily asked in a tired voice, still groggy and slightly nauseous from the treatment. “I walked.”

The nurse sighed, turned, and gestured towards the door. A moment later, the door opened and Eric walked into the room, “Mari’s in the car watching Julliet,” he explained in a clear voice, seeing that Emily was still slightly groggy from waking up. “Are you going to be able to walk to my car on your own?”

“I’m not sure,” Emily replied softly as she suddenly cringed. “Pass me something, Eric, I’m going to…”

Eric was barely quick enough with a bedpan and he winced as Emily threw up into it, “I just want to go back to Mister and Mrs. Speedle’s, have some water, and lie down for a little while,” she said in a disgusted voice as she pushed the bedpan away. “We’re staying with them for the time being…”

“I know where Speedle’s parents live,” Eric replied as he set the bedpan on a counter and offered a hand to Emily, seeing that she probably could use help standing and walking out of there. “Ready to go?”

Nodding, Emily took Eric’s hand and allowed him to help her up, “What time is it?” she asked in a groggy voice as Eric grabbed her purse from the chair and led her out of the room. “I feel like I’ve been out…”

“About lunchtime,” Eric replied calmly as they stepped out into the warm sun and Eric gestured to a Hummer that was parked at the curb and already holding Marisol and Julliet. “I work this afternoon.”

Emily sighed and remained quiet as they reached the Hummer, “Thank you,” she finally murmured as she forced open the back passenger door and climbed into the empty seat beside the booster seat where Julliet was sitting comfortably. “Where’d you find a nice booster seat like this, Eric?”

“Speedle’s mom,” Eric replied calmly as he closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side door.

Swallowing hard, Emily nodded, smiled at Julliet, “Mama nap,” Julliet said in a quiet voice. “Mama nap.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Juju,” Emily replied sleepily as she put her seatbelt on. “Mama will nap.”

As Emily laid back and closed her eyes, she heard Eric and Marisol talking and the Hummer starting up.  
****  
Pediatrics Unit - Angel of Mercy Hospital – Manhattan, New York

A gentle knock on the door caused Sully to look up from the book he had borrowed from the nurse’s lounge to keep him occupied until either John woke up or Danielle could come to sit with him, “I got a call from an Officer Boscorelli that John had a problem this morning,” Gil explained in a soft voice.

Sully frowned and quickly gazed over at John, who was lying in bed unconscious with a hospital gown and a blanket covering his body while a pillow supported his head. Several IV’s were in both of his arms and feet and a clip was on his left index finger that was attached to a machine, oxygen tubes were in his nose, and small electrodes were on his chest that were sending readings to a small heart monitor.

“You’re part of the Victims Assistance here in New York too?” Sully asked confusedly as he looked at Gil.

Gil shook his head, “Victims Assistance workers have no official designation and are authorized to step in wherever and whenever they are needed,” he replied calmly. “I also work at the Crime Lab in Las Vegas, but I’m out in New York on personal time. My number’s on the list of V.A. emergency contacts…”

“I know about the list,” Sully replied calmly. “John got sick on the way to school this morning and Yelina phoned me nearly half an hour later to tell me that John had a nightmare and problems sleeping…”

Gil nodded, “If I had been told all that over the phone, I would have recommended you phone Lieutenant Caine and get him to call Emily Wolfe in Miami since she knows John’s situation better than I do,” he explained in a concerned voice. “However, since I’m already here, how can I be of help?”

“…You can tell me I’m not crazy,” John’s faint voice spoke. “…David thinks I’m sick in the head…”

Sully and Gil looked towards the bed and were both surprised to see John awake, but not looking very alert or happy, “I feel like crap, Grandpa Sully,” John said in a faint voice. “Doctor Grissom, what…?”

“I don’t care what Warrick told you, John, please just call me Gil or Grissom,” Gil replied pleasantly, ever hating the fact that Warrick had once told John to call Grissom ‘Dr. Grissom’ because of his doctorate.

John sighed, “Whatever,” he said in a groggy voice as he shakily took a deep breath and coughed.

Putting his book down on the portable table so he could stand up, Sully sighed and promptly pressed the nurse’s call button above the bed, “David told Detective Salas that you had a nightmare last night and couldn’t go back to sleep,” he stated, giving John a worried look. “Why didn’t you wake your mom up?”

John was quiet for a moment and then frowned, “I ended up throwing up in the wastebasket of the bedroom that David and I were sharing and David told me to wake Mom, but I made him promise not to wake Mom up,” he replied weakly. “It’s been so long since Mom actually got a good, full night’s sleep…”

Pursing his lips, Gil nodded, but stayed quiet, “John, it’s really important that you tell your mother or me if you are having trouble at night,” Sully said in a gentle, but firm voice. “What was the nightmare?”

“I think it was about Doc,” John replied in an uneasy voice. “I heard him arguing with Edward, but I couldn’t see or say anything because I had something over my eyes and something in my mouth. I just remember kicking someone and having sharp nails dug into my leg. I think it was at Bellevue…”

Realizing that John was slowly beginning to remember things, Sully silently groaned, “Crap,” he hissed.

“There was another part in the nightmare that I was being stuffed in the trunk of a car,” John whispered.

Gil looked alarmed, “John, you do realize that I have to call the NYPD and report that you’re starting to remember things, don’t you?” he asked in a worried voice, wondering if John knew what he was saying.

“I know,” John replied tiredly as he looked up at the ceiling. “Just don’t get Detective Flack, okay?”

Gil nodded and Sully gently patted John’s hand just Mary Proctor came into the room, “Mary, I didn’t know you worked Peds,” Sully commented in a calm voice as Mary walked over to John’s bedside.

“I’m floated to other departments sometimes,” Mary replied calmly. “John, how are you feeling?”

John blinked tiredly, “I’ve felt better and worse,” he replied weakly. “Grandpa, where’s Mom?”

Mary frowned, “Your mother’s working today, remember?” Sully asked softly. “She’s doing a double.”

“I have to get David and Ellie after school,” John whispered even though he made no effort to move.

As Mary walked over to the machines to check the readings, Sully shook his head, “Detective Salas is going to do that,” he explained softly, not noticing that Gil had left the room. “I called Bosco and he’s trying to get a hold of your mother, but I want you to rest and not worry about anything right now.”

“Bosco’s going to think I’m a freak,” John said in a tired voice. “I can’t even get myself together.”

Mary gave John a look, “Well, young Mister Sullivan, would you like some water?” she asked, making a mental note to tell Bosco how poorly John thought of himself because of his problems with diabetes.

“Yes please,” John replied in a faint voice. “Grandpa Sully, can I sit up? I hate looking at the ceiling.”

Sully sighed and quickly raised the upper part of the bed so that John could look out the window if he wanted to, “Man, it looks like the sky’s gonna blow some cookies,” John commented tiredly as he turned his head and noticed that the sky had gone puke-colored. “I wish I could go out and just cool off a bit…”

“It’s supposed to snow and drop to minus 20 tonight according to the weather reports I’ve been hearing on the radio,” Mary commented as she brought a small cup of water from the sink over to the bed and noticed that John’s hand was trembling slightly. “John, do you want me to help you drink some water?”

John looked down at his trembling hand and sighed, “Why do I keep having problems with my diabetes?” he asked in a slightly upset voice as he looked at Mary and Sully. “I’m trying hard…”

“Stress can have an impact on blood sugar levels, John,” Mary cut in in a gentle, but firm voice as she gently put the water in his hand and helped him to drink every bit of it. “Does that help you at all?”

John nodded as he swallowed the water, “It feels cold,” he replied in a relieved voice. “Thank you.”

“Your doctor said that if you can keep that down and if you drink another cup, you can have a small snack later this afternoon,” Mary said in a gentle voice as she took a blanket off of the bedside table, unfolded it, and promptly covered John’s upper body with it. “For now, though, just take it easy.”

John frowned, “Since I can remember more things, I have to talk to the cops again,” he whispered.

“You’re a minor, so the police can’t talk to you about anything unless your mother’s here or she gives her permission,” Sully replied in a reassuring voice. “Besides, I want you feeling a lot better first.”

Too exhausted to argue, John promptly closed his eyes and relaxed, “Danielle’s boss doesn’t like his paramedics to have their cell phones on during shift,” Sully commented as he moved away from the bed and crossed his arms. “She tried to switch to tomorrow, but Captain Walsh ordered her to work today since the Bed-Stuy Firehouse is still pretty shorthanded because Captain Doherty’s still recovering.”

“Captain Walsh is a moron,” John’s voice spoke sleepily. “He’s always ragging on Mom…”

Sully looked shocked at John’s comment, but said nothing, “Sorry, that was rude,” John replied, realizing that his social skills definitely needed some work. “Do you think I should go back to sleep for a while?”

“Do you want me to bring you a TV-VCR setup and a few videos or a few books?” Mary asked, clearly seeing that John didn’t want to go back to sleep even though he looked tired. “I can do that for you.”

John nodded, “Do you have any videos that aren’t too scary or too babyish?” he asked in a tired voice.

“I’ll see what I can come up with,” Mary replied reassuringly as she moved to the door. “Just relax.”

As Mary left the room, John looked at Sully, “Grandpa Sully, can you wake me up when she gets back with the TV?” he asked in a tired voice, hating that he was so weak. “I have to shut my eyes for a bit.”

“Yep,” Sully replied calmly, both amused and saddened at how tired John had become from talking.

John sighed sleepily and closed his eyes. Sully bit his lip and gently caressed John’s IV laden hand.  
****  
“…Danielle, you finish your shift or I’m going to dock your pay,” Captain Walsh’s angry voice filtered out over the radio of the ambulance that Danielle and Stu were manning that day. “Your kid is in the hospital getting treated and your other kids are at school. I need you out on the street working…”

Deeply frustrated, Danielle sighed and looked at Stu, “I need that money to pay the school fees for the kids, John’s diabetes stuff, and food for the table,” she said in a distressed voice. “John, David, Ellie, and I live with my father right now and he has his pension, but I still want to be able to feed my kids…”

“Walsh has been a bit of an ego maniac ever since Jimmy went on medical leave,” Stu replied in a reassuring voice. “I stopped by Kim and Jimmy’s the other day and Jimmy’s going to be all right, but it will be a while yet before he can start getting into a routine. He doesn’t want to go back out on the street, though, so it looks like Walsh will be in charge permanently. I’m not supposed to tell you…”

Danielle nodded, “I can’t keep doing this job and being away from my kids, but I can’t afford to get married and until I do, I have to keep supporting them,” she commented in a distressed voice.

A horn suddenly sounded and Danielle frowned, “Who’s honking?” she asked. “We’re parked!”

There was silence and then a door opened and closed, “Miss Sullivan?” Gil said as he walked up to the driver’s side window and saw Danielle sitting in the passenger seat. “I’m here about your son, John…”

“My boss, the illustrious Captain Walsh, threatened to dock my pay if I didn’t finish my shift,” Danielle replied in an exasperated voice as she looked at Gil. “I know John’s at the hospital because Maurice phoned Stu, but Captain Walsh refuses to give us clearance to go over to Angel of Mercy Hospital.”

Gil sighed, “You should go over there and I can have a word with this Captain Walsh if you’d like me to,” he said in a professional tone. “Do you have someone looking after David and Ellie this afternoon?”

“Yes, Detective Salas is patrolling their elementary school today,” Danielle replied in an upset voice as the radio suddenly beeped. “Ah, Stu, we’ve got another call. I don’t want to even take it…”

Stu looked slightly guilty, “Look, Danielle, I’ll take care of keeping your pay where it should be,” Gil said, fully intending to go to the higher-ups and use his status as a Victims Assistance Associate to make sure that Danielle wasn’t screwed out of her pay because she cared about her kids. “Go and see John, okay?”  
*****  
Miami-Dade Crime Lab – Miami, Florida

“How’s his breathing now?” Tim asked as he walked up to where Alexx was sitting with Ryan, who was sitting on a gurney and being given oxygen by paramedics after the smoke bomb had triggered a panic attack that had caused breathing issues. “Did you check his eyes for any damage the smoke might…?”

Alexx smiled, “Timmy, they’re checking everything and so am I,” she replied calmly. “Ryan, honey?”

“I’m starting to feel better,” Ryan replied in a tired voice, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

Alexx nodded and gently put her hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “Do you want me to call your sister and have her come get you?” she asked in a gentle voice. “Maybe you should take the rest of the day off to rest.”

Tim frowned, but Ryan quickly shook his head, “Emily’s not going to be feeling up to looking after me or Julliet today,” he said in a tired, muffled voice. “You can call her, but tell her not to come over here.”

“Delko’s supposed to be here, but he’s not,” Tim commented in an exasperated voice. “I’ll call him.”

Even though Ryan knew that Eric was probably with Marisol at her chemo treatment, Ryan shrugged and laid back on the gurney, “How’s your wrist, Officer Wolfe?” one of the paramedics asked, seeing that Ryan’s left wrist was in a cast and brace. “Did you hurt it at all during whatever happened?”

“No,” Ryan replied as he put his good hand over the mask and pulled it off. “I’m all right; really.”

Alexx sighed just as Calliegh and Frank came into the room where Ryan had been sequestered so he wouldn’t be goggled at by the other staff, “IAB wants to talk to you,” Calleigh said in a concerned voice, frowning when she saw that Ryan was still on oxygen. “They seem to think that you were a witness…”

“Calliegh, can’t he do that later?” Tim asked in a slightly annoyed voice. “IAB can really wait a bit.”

Calliegh was silent for a moment and then nodded, “Tim, Alexx, I know you’re both worried about Ryan, but Natalia could really use some help in the lab processing the evidence from the attack outside,” she said in a concerned, but rather professional voice. “We still have to keep the lab running despite this…”

“I’m staying here with Ryan until he’s cleared,” Alex replied in a firm voice. “Timmy, go help Natalia.”

Tim nodded and quickly left, fully intending on phoning his parents and telling them about what happened at the lab that day. 

Calleigh sighed and quickly left after looking at Alexx and Ryan. She was shocked that this had happened on her watch, but she was more worried about the fact that Eric had been scheduled to work that afternoon, but had chosen not to come in for whatever reason.

“I should get back to work,” Ryan said in an anxious voice. “I’m being watched like a hawk by everyone.”

Alexx sighed and gently placed the mask back over his face, “Just take it easy, baby,” she said softly.

“I’ll keep IAB off your back for as long as I can,” Frank promised as he left the room. “Just take it easy.”

Ryan nodded, but as he sat there in silence, he was worried about whether or not Ray would come back and if he would try to harm Emily or Julliet in the process. It was obvious that Ray was very unstable.  
****  
A manic, animated cackle filled the quiet hospital room as Danielle walked in with Yelina, David, and Ellie and saw that Sully was sitting beside a bed where John was laying quietly, staring at a small TV-VCR set up that was close to the bed. Yelina smiled at Sully and Sully gently tapped John’s arm to alert him.

“Hi Mom,” John said in a tired voice as he turned his head and saw everyone. “Hey David, hey Ellie…”

David smiled and hurried over to the bed, “Hi there, Detective Salas,” John said in a tired voice, noticing that Ellie stuck close to their mother and the kind looking detective. “I thought you had to work, Mom?”

“Let’s talk about that later,” Danielle replied calmly as she walked over to the bed. “How are you?”

John sighed, “Sorry that I was rude this morning,” he said in a tired voice. “I started remembering stuff.”

Before Danielle could reply, Mac and Danny came down the hall and lingered in the doorway, “Detective Taylor, Detective Messer,” Danielle and Sully said at the same time before Sully went quiet. “Hello.”

“Gil Grissom contacted me and said that John needed to talk to someone about the Monte Parker/Stewart Otis case?” Mac commented in a concerned voice. “Do you mind if we come in?”

Danielle looked at John and John shrugged, “Yelina, why don’t we take David and Ellie to the hospital cafeteria for a bit of an afterschool snack?” Sully suggested as he stood up. “Danielle, is that okay?”

“Don’t eat too much junk,” Danielle replied as she watched John carefully turn off the TV-VCR setup.

Sully chuckled, “We dropped off Adam and BJ with Horatio and Bobby before we came here,” Yelina explained as she and Sully left the room with David and Ellie in tow. “We also told them about John…”

“Now John, this interview is going to go at your pace,” Danny explained as he took a seat near the bed and took out a tape recorder. “If you start to feel tired or anxious, just let Mac and I know, okay?”

John nodded and sighed as Danielle gently stroked his hand, “Instead of asking you questions, John, I’m just going to let you tell me what you remember about the whole incident from the beginning onward,” Mac stated as he took a seat next to Danny. “The information will stay between all of us, all right?”

“Okay,” John replied in a slightly anxious voice, relieved that his memories wouldn’t be public domain.  
As John began to recall what he remembered, Danielle silently prayed that her family and dear friend would find courage and strength in the days ahead. Once she married Maurice, Danielle thought silently, her family could have a chance at peace.


	20. Sudden Betrayal and Heroics

December 1

Dallenburgh Hotel – New York, New York – Mid-Morning

“Horatio thinks I’m in Miami getting Bobby’s paperwork in order, but I had to come tell you what Edward said,” Rick explained in an anxious voice as he sat on the bed, staring at Catherine with his battered face. “Edward found out where Lindsay is, but he’s not going to say anything until he can stop John from speaking about Monte Parker’s death and he made me come up to New York. I need your help.”

Catherine scoffed, “I’m not allowed to leave Manhattan for the time being,” she replied skeptically.

“John goes to school in Manhattan, not very far from here,” Rick replied softly. “Eddie told me.”

Catherine was silent for a moment as an image of Lindsay flashed through her mind, “Where am I supposed to take John once I have him?” she asked softly. “We can’t just take a walk anywhere.”

“If you don’t get the kid, Eddie will make sure Lindsay dies,” Rick said in an anxious voice as he stood up and walked to the hotel room door. “Bernard’s giving control of everything over to Eddie, so…”

Catherine was silent for a moment and stood up, “Rick, I can’t do this anymore,” she said in a trembling voice as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small gun. “You’re not what I need.”

“What are you doing?” Stetler asked in an anxious voice as Catherine aimed the gun at him.

As tears pooled in her eyes, Catherine fired the gun and Rick immediately went down, “I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she stepped over him, opened the door, and left him alone in the hotel room.  
******  
Emily sighed as she listened to Danielle on the phone, “…How about Skype?” she suggested, her heart aching over the fact that John wasn’t doing well emotionally. “I could Skype him and we could talk…”

Danielle’s voice replied calmly that she would feel better if John had someone to talk to that he actually liked even if it was over Skype. Emily silently listened as Danielle explained that John had been to a few counselors, but every single one of them had been rude and had made John rather uncomfortable.

“…I’m not working right now and I don’t mind Skyping New York at least once a week to talk to John and see if I can help him feel better,” Emily replied in a tired voice as she laid back in the chair that Mr. Speedle had given her to help furnish the spare room that they were letting her use as an ‘office.’

There was a knock at the door, “Danielle, why don’t you talk to John and let me know if he’s up for Skype counseling?” Emily suggested in a tired voice, smiling weakly when Danielle responded that she would talk to John when he got home from school and phone that evening. “All right; bye bye.”

As Emily placed the receiver back on the phone, the door opened and Tim came into the office holding a large mug filled with steaming liquid, “Tim, I thought you had to work?” Emily asked in a gentle voice.

“Delko’s taking my shift because I had to work a double when that smoke bomb went off at the lab and Ryan’s working at his airport security job today,” Tim replied, his eyes widening when Emily frowned. “I thought Ryan told you that he was doing the airport security job as well as working at the CSI lab.”

Emily sighed, “Ryan told me he was going to quit at the airport because his hours were good at the lab,” she said in an exasperated, tired voice. “He insists on paying for my chemo himself and it’s nice of him.”

“My mom mentioned that,” Tim commented as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the small desk where a phone and Emily’s refurbished laptop sat. “She made this for you since you can’t eat…”

Emily smiled, “I really try very hard to eat, but I have no appetite half the time,” she replied in a tired voice as she gratefully took the mug Tim offered her. “Julliet’s having a nap in the room we share.”

Tim nodded and smiled as he heard soft breathing sounds over the small baby monitor that also sat on the desk just on the other side of the phone, “My dad’s working and my mom went to the airport because Horatio is bringing his nephew and his nephew’s sons back to Miami today…”

“I know,” Emily replied tiredly, having talked to Horatio on the phone the night before about it.

Again, Tim nodded, “If you wanted to drink that and then go have a nap, I could look after Julliet for you,” he offered gently. “My mom said you were up most of last night and you really do look tired.”

“Thank you,” Emily replied calmly as she took a sip of the tea. “What would you like in return?”

Tim sighed, “I want to take you out to dinner when you’re feeling well enough,” he replied calmly.

“Sure,” Emily replied, suddenly feeling very happy that Tim was there. “Let me know when.”

Tim nodded and smiling, he left the room. Emily sighed and continued to slowly sip the special tea.  
*****  
Airplane Cabin - Miami-Dade International Airport

The plane was nearly empty, but Horatio kept silent as he watched an airport medic and a very familiar looking airport security officer come on to the plane and walked over to the seat where LaRusso was sitting in boots, jeans, a jacket, a shirt, and fingerless gloves. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy because he had thrown up and suffered a bout of anxiety during the flight from New York.

Adam and BJ were standing near the front of the plane with a concerned looking flight attendant, “Mister Wolfe?” Horatio asked, concerned by how tired and pale Ryan looked and also by the brace that was covering the younger CSI’s left wrist. “I thought you were working at the Crime Lab again?”

“I had to take a second job to pay all the bills,” Ryan replied, his attention fully focused on both the medic and the sick looking LaRusso. “The pilot radioed in and said you weren’t feeling well, sir…”

LaRusso sighed, but didn’t open his eyes, “During the flight, I started remembering my wife and my daughter and I just started feeling sick,” he replied in a faint voice. “On my way back from the lavatory, I almost fainted and my uncle ordered the stewardess to tell the pilot and to have help at the gate.”

The medic nodded and opened his bag, “Right, what’s your name?” he asked in a cheerful voice.

“Robert,” LaRusso replied in a tired voice. “Can someone get BJ and Adam some food, please?”

Ryan frowned at Horatio and Horatio motioned to him to come closer, “My nephew’s wife died from suicide by cop and his daughter was murdered by a scared man who was in league with some very dangerous criminals that are connected to the late Stewart Otis,” Horatio explained in a low voice. 

“…No, I do not want to go to the hospital,” Horatio and Ryan suddenly heard LaRusso say in a faint, but very annoyed voice as he opened his eyes and glared at the paramedic. “I just need a minute or two.”

Ryan sighed and walked back over to LaRusso, “How come you don’t want to go to the hospital?” he asked in a professional, but gently concerned voice. “You look as though you could use it badly.”

“I was in the hospital for several days with pneumonia and injuries given to me by my wife last time I was in Miami,” LaRusso replied tiredly, wincing as the medic carefully removed the fingerless gloves that were protecting his hands. “I’m a single parent to two boys and I need to be able to take care of them.”

For a moment, Ryan was quiet, “Look, Robert, I was attacked by my former brother-in-law not too long ago and he broke my wrist, but I didn’t want to get medical help because I thought I’d be seen as weak,” he said in a clear voice, ignoring Horatio’s surprised look. “I knew, however, that I’d be more helpful to the ones I love after I went and got myself taken care of. Helping others is harder when you’re sick.”

LaRusso was quiet for a moment and then sighed, “Yeah, okay,” he replied softly. “I’ll go.”

“Daddy, are you going back to the hospital?” Adam asked quietly as he came up to where LaRusso was sitting and gently took LaRusso’s hand in his own. “Daddy, why is your hand really, really cold?”

LaRusso gently patted Adam’s hand, “Adam, Daddy’s not feeling too great,” he replied gently. 

“Maggie wouldn’t want you to be sad, Daddy,” Adam replied softly. “She’d want you to be happy.”

The medic sighed impatiently, “Sir, if you could take off your jacket and roll up your sleeve so I can check your blood pressure, that would be great,” he commented. “I’m sure this plane has to be used again.”

LaRusso nodded and slowly rose from his seat to take his jacket off, “Hey, I understand you’re just trying to do your job, but act a little more professional, all right?” Ryan asked, giving the medic a dark look.

“Watch it, Wolfe,” the medic snapped, placing the cuff around LaRusso’s exposed forearm and securing it tightly as LaRusso handed Horatio his jacket. “You may need as many hours as possible to support your sister and niece, but I’m the medic and you’re the security guard. Just hold still, sir.”

Ryan swallowed hard, but said nothing, “Uncle Horatio, can you take BJ and Adam out of here and go find Aunt Yelina and Ray Jr.?” LaRusso asked in a faint voice, cringing as the blood pressure cuff expanded. “I’ve always hated these things, but I know that it’s going to help me feel better.”

“Blood pressure’s low,” the medic commented softly. “Sir, when was the last time you ate?”

LaRusso sighed, “Last night at supper,” he replied tiredly. “Today’s been a very busy day for all of us.”

“Look, Mister Medic, you either address my nephew by his name or you can go get someone else to do your job,” Horatio said, quickly tiring of the medic’s poor professional attitude and bedside manner.

The medic scoffed as he removed the cuff from around LaRusso’s arm, “The name’s Dan Cooper, sir, and I’m only doing this job until I can finish my studies in audiovisual technology,” he replied testily. “I actually wanted to be in forensics, but I didn’t have the grades to get into that program…”

Before Ryan could reply, another flight attendant came on to the plane carrying a folded up wheelchair and she unfolded it in the aisle in front of LaRusso, “Seriously, Wolfe?” Dan asked crossly. “You ordered a wheelchair when the patient’s conscious, coherent, and has nothing keeping him from walking?”

“Do you need a hand getting up, Robert?” Ryan asked gently, purposely ignoring Dan’s brash attitude.

LaRusso nodded and sighed as Ryan helped him get up out of his seat and sit in the wheelchair, “Mister Wolfe, will you kindly call for another medic when we’re in the terminal, please?” Horatio asked in a concerned, yet very professional voice. “Mister Cooper, consider yourself dismissed for the day.”

Dan scowled, but nodded and silently left without speaking to the attendants or LaRusso’s sons. Horatio quickly reached up to the above compartment, opened it, and carefully removed LaRusso’s backpack, Adam and BJ’s backpack, and his own work satchel, “The rest of the luggage is probably in the terminal,” LaRusso commented softly as Ryan carefully backed the wheelchair down the aisle towards the door. 

There was silence as Ryan wheeled LaRusso through the gate and into the terminal where Yelina and Ray Jr. were standing near a row of seats, “Aunt Yelina, what are you doing here?” LaRusso asked softly.

“Ray Junior and I came to pick you, your boys, and Horatio up at the airport,” Yelina replied gently, her eyes widening at the fact that her nephew was in a wheelchair and that Ryan Wolfe was helping him.

Adam and BJ didn’t hesitate to hug Yelina and Ray Junior, “I’m feeling a little better now, Uncle Horatio,” LaRusso said in a steady voice as he slowly stood up. “Maybe I just don’t do well on airplanes.”

“Do you want an escort to the luggage area?” Ryan asked, worried about how pale LaRusso looked.

LaRusso nodded, “Thank you, Officer Wolfe,” he replied calmly. “It’s been really too long of a flight.”

Ryan nodded and gestured down the terminal, “It’s a bit of a walk, but I can get a cart if you’d prefer,” he explained in an official voice, frowning as he spotted a blonde woman and a man carrying a camera coming down the terminal towards him. “Would you mind if we take the longer way to your luggage?”

“Ryan!” Erica spoke up in an enthusiastic voice as she and the cameraman approached. “Got a sec?”

Ryan shook his head and put his hand in front of the camera, “No,” he snapped. “Goodbye.”

Erica pouted and silently watched as Ryan led Horatio, Yelina, LaRusso, Adam, BJ, and Ray Jr. across the terminal towards the luggage area, “Excuse me, do you know Ryan?” Dan asked as he came out from the corner where he had been sulking after being dismissed. “He’s a co-worker of mine here.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Erica replied in a sly voice. “You seem really, really angry with him.”

Dan nodded, but hesitated to say anything; was he really angry enough to cause trouble for Ryan?  
****  
Manhattan High School – Manhattan, New York - Noon

“John Sullivan?” 

John looked up from the homework assignment he was working on in the resource room as part of the school’s efforts to let him catch up from all the school he had missed, “Yes?” he asked the female teacher who was standing at the desk he had been working at all morning. “Did I do something?”

“You’ve got someone who wants to see you,” the teacher said gently. “Come on in, please.”

There was silence and the door suddenly banged open, “Get up,” Catherine said in a forceful voice as she walked through the door and pulled a gun out of her pocket, which she pointed at him. “Now.”

“No,” John replied in an anxious, trembling voice as the teacher gaped at Catherine wide-eyed.

Catherine sighed impatiently and cocked the gun, “Look, I was released on bail two days ago and I was told that if I took you to your father, he’d help me find my daughter,” she said in an anxious voice as she walked over to him and gently pressed the gun against his dark hair. “How does that feel, John?”

John swallowed hard as the teacher ran from the room, “I’m not moving,” he finally whispered.

“You’ve gotten enough people killed, you little punk!” Catherine yelled in an angry voice as she moved the gun away from John’s hair and pushed him roughly, causing him to fall to the floor hard and fast.

There was an uneasy silence as Catherine realized that John wasn’t moving, “John?” a voice called out as the door suddenly opened and Tommy came into the room. “Mrs. Moran said you were in here and…”

Tommy’s eyes widened when he saw Catherine holding a gun and John unconscious on the floor, “Oh, crap,” he whispered in an anxious voice. “Who are you and what did you do to my buddy?”

“Get on the phone and call anyone but the police to come,” Catherine ordered in an anxious voice.

Tommy swallowed hard and moved over to the phone while keeping one eye on John’s very still form, “It won’t help if you’ve killed him,” he said in an anxious voice. “You’ll go to prison forever.”

Catherine glared at Tommy and turned away from John, “You’ll go six feet under if you don’t phone somebody and tell them what I want right now,” she snapped in a cross voice. “You got me?”

Tommy didn’t move and neither he nor Catherine noticed that John had regained consciousness and was on his feet. Without warning, John lunged at Catherine and she fired a shot in the air.  
*****  
Dallenburgh Hotel – New York, New York – Time Unknown

“Sir, can you hear me?” Rick heard a voice ask in a concerned tone. “Sir, can you squeeze my hand?”

Blurry figures were above him, but Rick was in too much pain to move, “I was shot,” he finally managed to say in a faint, but audible voice as he suddenly felt pain ripple across his chest and abdomen. “Ow.”

Rick blinked and saw that two FDNY paramedics were standing over him as well as people he recognized as being from the New York Crime Lab, “Looks like he was shot more than once, Carlos,” he heard the female paramedic say as she knelt beside him and began to unbutton his shirt. “Once in the stomach and once in the shoulder and there’s no exit wounds apparent. Sir, can you tell me your name?”

“Danny, call Miami,” Mac, who immediately recognized Stetler, said in a concerned voice. “Tell Lieutenant Caine that Sergeant Stetler was shot and left for dead in his hotel room.”

As Danny moved away, Grace opened Stetler’s shirt and pants, “Carlos, both wounds are pretty bad,” she said in a concerned voice as she opened her medical bag and took out some pressure pads. “Sir, I’m going to press down on the wounds to keep you from bleeding out. It’s going to hurt, but hang in there.”

“This’ll help you stay relaxed,” Carlos said as he slipped an oxygen mask over Stetler’s pale face.

Stetler whimpered as Grace put pressure on his wounds, “She’s going after John Sullivan,” he said, frustrated that his voice was now muffled and shook the mask off by shaking his head rapidly.

“Who’s going after John Sullivan?” Mac asked in a concerned voice. “Who shot you, Sergeant…?”

Beginning to feel tired due to shock and loss of blood, Rick fought to stay conscious by staring up at all the people who had gathered, “Catherine,” he replied in a weak voice. “Edward told me where John goes to school and she shot me before taking off to find him. He’s got her daughter in Brazil…OW!”

“Someone get over to John Sullivan’s school,” Mac ordered as Rick felt himself slowly passing out.

Carlos swore loudly as Stetler suddenly went limp, “I’m bagging him!” he yelled in an anxious voice as he grabbed an ambu-bag from the mess of supplies scattered everywhere and fit it over Rick’s pale face.

“I left a message with a Calliegh Duquesne and she’ll tell Lieutenant Caine,” Danny reported as he moved back through the crowd and saw that Carlos and Grace were working on trying to revive the unconscious Stetler. “Should I get to work on processing Sergeant Stetler’s hotel room, boss?”

Mac nodded and looked at Grace and Carlos, “Can you send someone to the high school to check on Tommy?” Carlos asked in a worried voice as Stetler suddenly began to breathe again. “He and John are best friends and I’m worried that Catherine might involve him too if she really did go after John.”

“Some uniforms went over,” Danny replied as he moved into the room. “Davis and Finney.”

Rick suddenly opened his eyes and whimpered in pain as he felt Grace pressing down on his wounds with pressure pads, “Just relax, okay?” Grace said in a soothing voice, seeing fear and confusion in Stetler’s eyes. “Carlos, can we give him a little something to relax him and take the pain away?”

“Two of morphine,” Carlos replied in an anxious voice. “Any more than that and he won’t be lucid.”  
*****  
Manhattan

Sully sighed as he took another sip of coffee and continued reading the Local News section of the newspaper while he killed time; he planned to meet John at the school at noon and take him out for a lunch as a treat for trying so hard to catch up. The school was about half a block away from the café.

“Sully!” Sully suddenly heard a familiar voice say. “Sully, we need to talk to you! It’s important!”

Sully looked up from his paper and was surprised to see Ty and Brendan approach him, “Sully, there’s a problem,” Ty said in an anxious voice. “Catherine Willows shot a guy named Rick Stetler in his hotel room and then went to John’s high school. The high school’s in lockdown and shots were fired…”

“Crap,” Sully replied in an anxious voice as he threw the paper aside. “What do you want me to do?”

Ty swallowed hard, “I know you’re retired, but can you come with us?” he asked in an anxious voice.

“Did they say if anyone was hurt?” Sully asked in an anxious voice as he set his coffee down on the table and followed Ty and Brendan down the sidewalk towards the high school. “Where is everyone?”

Ty sighed as they stopped in front of the school, “Technically, Catherine said no police and she forced another kid to call someone about John being knocked out,” he explained in an anxious voice. “The kid was Tommy Lauren and he called Holly; Holly then called NYPD and we’re supposed to respond…”

“Davis, give me your gun,” Sully replied, suddenly understanding what Ty wanted him to do.

Even though Ty knew it was against policy and that he would most likely be reamed out for it later, he nodded and gave Sully his gun, “I’ll try and talk Catherine into letting the kids go,” Sully stated as he stuck the gun in his pocket and hid it under his shirt. “Davis, maybe you should serve as my backup.”

“Sully, Catherine said no police,” Ty argued even though he looked ready to follow Sully inside.

Sully scoffed and silently moved up the steps and into the high school, slightly relieved that both Ty and Brendan were behind him. All of the doors were closed and the hallways were completely empty.

“Holly said that Tommy and John were in the resource room,” Ty commented. “Where is it?”

Sully looked around and suddenly spotted a door down the hallway near the office that had a ‘Resource Room’ sign on top of it. 

While Ty and Brendan hid behind lockers, Sully cautiously approached the door and opened it to find bullet holes in the ceiling while John and Catherine were in a struggle over the gun with Catherine pinning John against a wall. Tommy was nervously lingering near the phone.

“Catherine, let go of the gun and my grandson,” Sully said in a commanding voice as he stepped into the room and over to where Catherine and John were. “I was told you shot Rick Stetler and left him to die.”

Catherine’s eyes widened in horror, “Rick’s dead?” she asked in a horrified voice. “I killed Rick?”

Even though Sully didn’t know if Stetler was dead or not, he nodded, “You love Rick, don’t you?” he asked in a concerned voice, wondering if he could use Stetler’s injuries to calm the crisis at hand.

“He made me feel happy,” Catherine said in a horrified voice as she pulled the gun away from John and held it towards the floor, unsure of how to act now. “I can’t believe I actually killed Rick with this.”

Sully held out his hands as he moved closer to Catherine, “That’s where it can stop, Catherine,” he said in as gentle a voice as he could considering the circumstances. “You’re better than this terrible gun.”

“My daughter is going to die,” Catherine whimpered as her hands shook. “Bernard has her…”

Sully sighed, “If this stops now, I’ll make sure that the authorities know about your daughter,” he said as he brought his hands down over the gun so that Catherine couldn’t shoot it. “Just give me the gun.”

Catherine released her grip on the gun and began to sob as Ty and Brendan ran into the room, not hesitating to get her up against a wall and search her, “Are you all right?” Sully asked John and Tommy in a concerned voice as he looked at the two boys and saw that John looked slightly disoriented.

“I was knocked out for a couple of minutes,” John replied in an anxious voice. “She pushed me.”

Sully nodded and sighed as Ty and Brendan cuffed Catherine, “Can someone tell Carlos and Holly that I’m okay?” Tommy asked in a nervous voice as he hurried over to John. “Maybe you should sit down.”

“Yeah,” John replied in an anxious voice as he sat in the chair closest to him and hugged himself.

As Ty led Catherine to the door, Brendan came over to Sully with a small plastic bag in his hands, “I’ll take the gun to the CSI’s,” he said in a cautious voice as Sully put the gun in the bag. “Good job.”

“I didn’t do it to be praised,” Sully replied as he walked over to John and enveloped him in a hug.

John’s muffled sobs suddenly filled the room and Brendan looked at Ty, “Once Catherine’s booked, we should really call John’s mom,” he commented in a nervous voice. “And Bosco; we’d better call him.”

“John was knocked out,” Tommy commented worriedly. “Shouldn’t you call an ambulance?”

Brendan nodded, “We’ll take care of that too,” he replied softly. “John, are you all right?”

“Can’t my grandpa just drive me to the ER?” John asked in a faint voice. “No ambulances.”

Ty shrugged and looked at Sully, who nodded, “I’ll drive him over to the ER once he calms down a bit,” Sully replied in a reassuring voice as John continued to cry into his shirt. “Just call Danielle and Bosco.”

“Can I come too?” Tommy asked in a worried voice. “I don’t want to be at school anymore today.”

Sully was quiet for a moment and then nodded as Ty and Brendan escorted Catherine from the room.  
****  
Miami-Dade Police Department/Crime Lab – Miami, Florida - Afternoon

“Daddy, why do we hafta stop at the police station?” Adam asked, cuddling against LaRusso as Yelina pulled the van into a parking spot right in front of the police station and crime lab and parked.

LaRusso sighed and looked at Horatio, who was sitting in the front seat next to Yelina, “Chief Burton just wants to meet with you and get your paperwork sorted,” Horatio explained, giving LaRusso a reassuring look that everything was fine. “He also wants you to meet the person you’ll be working under.”

“Adam, BJ, can you please stay here and behave for Aunt Yelina?” LaRusso asked in a gentle voice as he gently nudged Adam off of him and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Daddy just has to go into the police station with Uncle Horatio and talk about the new job I’m going to be starting as soon as we get settled.”

Adam nodded and huddled against BJ as LaRusso got out and quickly straightened the shirt he was wearing, relieved that he had kept the jacket off since leaving the plane, “You look fine, Bobby,” Horatio commented as they walked up the steps to the precinct. “I told Chief Burton good things about you.”

“Now that I’m back in Miami, I need to make an effort to hang out with Rick more,” LaRusso commented as they reached the door. “He’s honestly a good guy and I can’t forget that Amanda was his sister…”

Horatio nodded and frowned as Calliegh suddenly came out of the precinct, “Horatio, I got a call from a Detective Messer in New York and he wanted to speak to you,” she said in a distressed voice, suddenly noticing that LaRusso was standing there. “Officer LaRusso, how are you doing? Did you move back…?”

“I’d prefer to be known as a Caine, please,” Bobby replied calmly. “What happened in New York?”

Calliegh frowned, “Detective Messer said that Stetler was found shot in a room at the Dallenburgh Hotel in Manhattan earlier today,” she explained in a shocked voice. “Paramedics responded and Stetler’s currently undergoing surgery at Angel of Mercy Hospital in Manhattan and he’s not doing well…”

“What?” Bobby asked in a shocked voice as he silently processed what he had been told. “Wow.”

Horatio looked at Bobby worriedly, “Uncle Horatio, there’s a folder in my bag in the back of Aunt Yelina’s van and it’s got papers in it,” Bobby said in a surprisingly calm voice. “Rick gave me power of attorney for him and said if anything ever happened to him, I should handle all his affairs…”

“Go to your meeting with Chief Burton,” Horatio said in a calming voice. “I’ll get the papers.”

Bobby nodded, “Rick shouldn’t be alone in New York, but I just got here and I feel terrible about leaving Adam and BJ to go back for Rick,” he said in an anxious voice. “Can we talk about this after?”

“Yes,” Horatio replied in a reassuring voice. “Just hurry to your meeting. Chief Burton’s expecting you.”

Again, Bobby nodded and quickly walked into the precinct, “Calliegh, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be temporary head for a little bit longer,” Horatio said in a somber, quiet voice. “Bobby’s right in that Rick shouldn’t be alone, but I don’t want Bobby going back to New York after the price he’s paid…”

“I agree that he shouldn’t,” Calliegh replied in an anxious voice. “Is Hagen ready to train him, though?”

Horatio nodded, “I believe so,” he said in a reassuring voice. “I just want Bobby to stay in Miami.”

“Horatio, you should let him make that choice,” Calliegh replied in a firm voice. “I know he’s been through a lot lately, but Stetler obviously wanted Bobby to make the medical decisions for him…”

Horatio sighed, “Rick is the only connection Bobby has left to Amanda,” he replied in a somber voice, silently praying that Bobby would have the sense to see that he was better off not going to New York after enduring such horror there so recently. “I will, however, leave the decision up to Bobby.”  
****  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – Manhattan, New York

“Follow the light with your eyes,” Dr. Moreno said in a calming voice as she took a penlight from the pocket of her labcoat and switched it on. “If the light bothers you or you get a headache…”

John sighed and silently followed the penlight with his eyes, “Good,” Dr. Moreno said in a cheerful voice as she shone the penlight in each of John’s eyes. “Your pupils are even. Do you have a headache?”

“No, I’m just shook up from the whole thing,” John replied in a quiet voice as he wrapped his arms around himself and tried to keep himself from shivering. “Could I possibly get my jacket?”

Dr. Moreno clicked the penlight off, “How about you lie down for a minute and I’ll get you a blanket?” she suggested in a gentle voice as she stood up, grabbed a folded blanket off of a nearby supply cart, and carefully covered John with it. “Just relax and I’ll go tell your grandpa that you’re all right, okay?”

John nodded and was quiet as Dr. Moreno moved through the privacy curtain that had been drawn around the bed to keep him calm, “Lieutenant Davis, Sergeant Finney, it’s not necessary for you two to still be here,” he heard Dr. Moreno say in a concerned voice. “John’s fine and is just resting…”

“Sully’s off talking to Holly and Tommy,” Ty’s voice replied. “We just wanted to see if John’s okay.”

There was a sigh, “Davis, Finney, you can go now,” John heard his grandpa say. “Holly took Tommy home and I called both Bosco and Danielle about what happened. Danielle’s on another double shift and Captain Walsh is not letting her off, but Bosco is going to meet us back at my apartment later.”

John sighed, “Grandpa Sully, can I talk to you?” he called out in an anxious voice. “Please?”

The curtain parted and Sully came into the bed area, “Do you think Bosco’s gonna dump my mom because he won’t want a psycho for a stepson?” John asked in a worried voice. “Maybe my mom should just lock me up in some nut house and then she and Bosco can get married and care for David and Ellie.”

“Excuse me?” Sully asked, shocked at what he was hearing. “Nobody thinks you’re a psycho, John.”

John shrugged, “I hope not,” he replied in a tired voice as he sat up. “I just want to love myself.”

“You should,” Sully said in a gentle voice. “Because others who care about you love you a lot.”

Nodding, John got off the bed, “Can we get out of here?” he asked softly. “The doctor said I’m fine.”

“Let’s go back to my place and you take it easy for the rest of the day,” Sully replied. “All right?”

Deeply relieved that he wasn’t going to be forced to go back to school, John nodded and kept quiet as he dropped the blanket on the bed and left the curtained area with Sully, “Ty, Brendan, I’m taking John back to my place so he can take it easy,” Sully explained as they passed by Ty and Brendan. “So…”

“Major Cases wants to talk to John because Catherine shot someone before she went to the school,” Ty explained in a somber voice. “There’s talk that who she shot was being threatened by someone…”

Sully scoffed and put a protective arm around John, “Have Major Cases contact Danielle to arrange a meeting,” he replied in a no-nonsense tone. “I’m taking John out of here so he can take it easy.”

Before Ty or Brendan could reply, Sully carefully escorted John out of the crowded emergency room.  
*****  
Miami-Dade Police Department/Crime Lab – Miami, Florida

“Detective has a nice sound to it,” Bobby commented in an intrigued voice as he sat in Horatio’s office, looking at the temporary ID badge and MDPD badge that Chief Burton had given him along with a booklet to read until he could start training with Detective Hagen. “I can’t believe I got promoted.”

Deeply relieved that Yelina had agreed to take BJ and Adam to her house to spend time with her and Ray Jr., Horatio nodded, “Bobby, I don’t think you should go to New York,” he said in a worried voice.

“I know,” Bobby replied in a calm, but anxious voice. “After Chief Burton gave me my supplies, he let me phone the Angel of Mercy Hospital in New York and I explained who I was and that I’d send written instructions on how to take care of Rick. Once Rick’s stable enough, I want him transferred to Miami.”

Horatio nodded and raised an eyebrow when Bobby handed him an envelope, “This says you’re authorized to relay my wishes for Rick’s medical treatment until he’s back in Miami,” Bobby explained in a professional voice as he pocketed his badge. “I’ll keep in touch on Skype as much as I can, but I know that if I go back to New York, it won’t be good. Rick will probably be upset with me for not coming, but he’ll understand why once he’s feeling a little better. I need to stay in Miami with my boys and settle in.”

“I think that’s a wise decision,” Horatio replied calmly, awed at how much like Adria Bobby was becoming now that he was out of the shell that Amanda had put him into. “I’ll leave immediately.”

Bobby nodded as he pocketed his badge and ID, “I hope Rick’s all right,” he replied in a tired voice as he slowly stood up with the booklet in hand. “I think I’m going to head over to Aunt Yelina’s and rest…”

“If you see Eric or Alexx on your way out, see if you can get a ride from them,” Horatio cautioned, picking up his phone as Bobby moved towards the door. “I’ll call when I know more on Rick’s health.”

As Bobby left the office, Horatio dialed the number of the airport and waited for someone to pick up.  
****  
“…Las Vegas Crime Scene investigator Catherine Willows was arrested in New York today for the attempted murders of Miami Police Department’s IAB Sergeant, Rick Stetler, and Manhattan High school student, John Sullivan,” Tim heard a newscaster’s voice say as a reporter standing in front of Angel of Mercy Hospital in Manhattan came into view. “John Sullivan was uninjured and is in the care of his family, but Sergeant Stetler is currently undergoing surgery after being shot and left for dead…”

Tim’s eyes widened in shock as Emily came into the room helping Julliet walk across the carpet, “Emily, Stetler was shot in New York by Catherine Willows,” he said in a shocked voice as he looked at Emily helping Julliet walk across the carpet. “I thought Julliet already knew how to walk or is she sick?”

“Sometimes Julliet has a bit of a balance problem because of the time she spent in Bernard’s hands,” Emily explained in a concerned voice. “What do you mean that Stetler was shot in New York?”

Tim gestured to the TV, “It was just reported on the news that Catherine Willows shot Stetler and also tried to kill John Sullivan,” he explained as Emily and Julliet reached the couch. “You helped John, right?”

“Tim, can you watch Julliet for a few minutes, please?” Emily asked in a worried voice, knowing that she should Skype Danielle and see how everything was going. “I just need to do some work in my office.”

Tim nodded and gently lifted Julliet on to his lap, “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” he said, frowning as Emily swallowed hard and slowly sank to the couch. “Emily, are you all right?”

“I just need a minute,” Emily replied softly as she laid back against the couch. “Just a little nausea.”

Tim frowned and grabbed the cordless phone off the cradle just as Rosa came in, “Timothy, how long have you been here?” she asked in a curious voice, smiling as she saw him holding Julliet on his lap.

“I’m just visiting Emily and Julliet,” Tim replied as he stood and hoisted Julliet to his shoulder. “Can I stay for dinner tonight, Mom? I know I have my own place and my own food, but I like the cooking here…”

Rosa smiled and nodded, “Your father’s bringing leftovers from the restaurant,” she explained in a gentle voice as Tim passed Emily the cordless phone. “You two can come help me set the table…”

“I just have to make a work call, but then I’ll come,” Emily replied, not wanting to say that she was sick.

As Tim followed Rosa from the room with Julliet in his arms, Emily quickly dialed Sully’s number.  
****  
Sully’s Apartment – Manhattan, New York - Evening

“Hey, Sul,” Bosco said in a cheerful voice as he came into the apartment with David and Ellie as the clock ticked to 4:30 and saw Sully making a diabetic friendly dinner for everyone. “How are things going?”

Sully shrugged as John came out of the bathroom in sweats, a t-shirt, and slippers with his diabetes backpack in hand with his hair wet and slicked back, “Hey,” John said in a quiet voice as he walked over to the couch, sat down, and set his backpack on the floor so he could grab the afghan on the couch. 

“I heard you almost got shot today, John,” David commented in a worried voice as he hurried over to the couch and sat down next to John. “The school was locked up for a bit and then it opened up…”

John swallowed hard and nodded, “Yeah, I did, but I’m okay now,” he replied quietly as he wrapped himself in the afghan and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table. “Can I watch TV, Grandpa?”

“David, Ellie, homework before TV,” Sully said in a firm voice. “John, nothing violent, okay?”

John nodded and silently flipped through the channels while David got up and joined Ellie, who already had her reader open, at the coffee table where his textbooks were, “Nothing’s on,” John commented as he shut the TV off and picked up a book from the coffee table. “Grandpa, I’m going to rest for a bit.”

Sully nodded and Bosco quickly disappeared into the bathroom, making sure the door was shut and locked before he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, “Danielle, I need your help,” Bosco said in a quiet voice as he turned the sink on so he wouldn’t be overheard. “I need help planning a wedding….”

There was frantic talking on the other end and Bosco sighed, “I think we should move it up a bit and then you can cut back on your hours like you want to,” he replied in a quiet voice, knowing that Danielle was risking a pay cut by having her phone on during shift against Walsh’s orders. “It doesn’t have to be an expensive wedding and we don’t even have to invite that many people if you don’t want to…”

Again, Danielle said a few things and Bosco nodded despite not seeing Danielle, “It doesn’t even have to be in a church or a public place,” he replied in a reassuring voice. “We can have it wherever you want.”

There was a silence and Bosco sighed, “Danielle, when I proposed to you, I knew there would be bumps in the road because of everything that’s gone on, but I want to be with you and your kids forever,” he said in an unusually reverent voice. “I want you to be my wife and I want John, David, Ellie, you, and I to become a family along with Sully and whoever else might come into the family later. I love you all.”

“…I love you too, Maurice,” Bosco heard Danielle say in a tearful voice. “Let’s plan this together…”  
****  
Angel of Mercy Hospital – Manhattan, New York – Evening

Rick Stetler lying in a hospital bed in the Intensive Care Unit with various bandages, tubes, machines, wires, and IV’s sticking out of various parts of his hospital gown clad body was not what Horatio expected to see. Nevertheless, it was the sight that Horatio was greeted with as he made his way through the Intensive Care Unit with a satchel in one hand and the envelope Bobby had given him in the other. His lone suitcase was at the Plaza in the room that he had paid for indefinite use of. 

“Lieutenant Caine?” Dr. Fields asked as he came out of the ICU and saw Horatio standing there looking extremely somber. “I got a call from Miami informing me that you were coming and I have to tell you right now that Sergeant Stetler is in stable, but critical condition. He was shot in the stomach and in the shoulder, but the bullets travelled through his system and ended up settling in his lungs…”

Horatio sighed as he realized that Rick was on a ventilator, “Will he survive?” he asked in a somber voice, knowing that it would absolutely kill Bobby if he lost any more family so soon. “How serious…?”

“The bullets perfed the lungs, but tubes stabilized them,” Dr. Fields explained in a somber voice. “A colostomy was also performed to repair the damage that the bullets did to his stomach and some damaged nerves in his shoulder were also repaired. That’s why his left arm is in a shoulder sling.”

Taking note of the sling, Horatio nodded, “Am I allowed to see Rick?” he asked in a worried voice.

“For just a moment,” Dr. Fields replied somberly. “Sergeant Stetler really needs a lot of rest…”

Horatio nodded and silently followed Dr. Fields into the ICU and right to Rick’s beside, “Rick, it’s Horatio,” Horatio said in a quiet, but clear voice as he looked at Rick’s unmoving, pale face.

Soft beeping was the only reply Horatio heard, but he saw Rick’s eyes flutter open briefly and focus on him, “Bobby stayed in Miami to take care of his sons and his training,” Horatio explained, knowing he probably didn’t have long before Rick slipped back into a deep sleep. “He sent me to be with you.”

Rick blinked, indicating that he understood, “I don’t want you to worry about a thing, all right?” Horatio said in a reassuring voice, seeing exhaustion and fear in the normally emotionless Rick. “Just relax.”

Too exhausted to argue, Rick blinked again and slowly closed his eyes again, “I am aware of your nephew’s wishes and Sergeant Stetler will be transferred to a Miami hospital once he’s stable enough,” Dr. Fields explained as Horatio looked up at him. “However, it will be a while before that can happen.”

Horatio nodded, “Hang in there, Rick,” he replied in a soft voice as he followed Dr. Fields from the ICU.


	21. Day of Surprises

December 10

Coral Gables Cottage – Miami, Florida - Dawn

“Take James back to his mother,” Bernard said in a faint voice as he lay in bed with a hand over his chest and blankets over the pajamas that weren’t keeping him warm. “Call me an ambulance first, though.”

Ramon was quiet for a moment and then nodded, taking great care as he scooped James out of the padded drawer that was next to Bernard’s bed, “Doctor Savarrio warned me about stress since I’ve always had a bad heart,” Bernard commented in a faint voice. “Hearing that Edward is underground and that Catherine Willows almost killed Rick Stetler pushed me over the edge and I need medical help.”

“Should I tell Clavo that you’re sick?” Ramon asked in a nervous voice. “He’d want to know.”

Bernard scoffed and coughed, “No,” he replied testily. “Call for an ambulance and then I want you to take James to the Miami-Dade Police Department and make sure he’s found. Do you understand?”

“They’re gonna be suspicious,” Ramon protested nervously as James started to cry. “Are you sure?”

Bernard nodded, “I don’t have much time left, Ramon,” he replied softly. “I want a clear conscience.”

“After I call for the ambulance and take James to the police department, can I go clubbing?” Ramon asked in a nervous voice as he picked up the phone beside the bed and dialled 9-1-1. “It’s been a…”

Bernard sighed, “You can do whatever you want,” he replied in a tired voice. “Just keep it down.”

“Hello, 9-1-1?” Ramon said in an anxious voice as a voice responded. “I need an ambulance…”  
****  
Recovery Floor - Angel of Mercy Hospital – Manhattan, New York

“Sergeant Stetler?”

Rick opened his eyes and was surprised to find Mac and Danny standing at his bedside, “Yes?” he asked in a groggy voice, ignoring the intense pain radiating throughout his injured body. “How can I help you?”

“We want to talk to you about Catherine Willows, if you don’t mind,” Mac explained in a cautious voice, seeing that Stetler was obviously in a lot of pain. “She’s being held at Bellevue Mental Hospital until her trial, but I heard from Detective Flack that you’re refusing to testify that she almost killed you; is that…?”

Rick sighed, “I can’t,” he replied in a tired voice. “Catherine doesn’t deserve to spend life behind bars.”

“You are aware that she also went after John Sullivan on information that, according to her, you got from an Edward Addison?” Danny asked in a curious voice. “That makes you an accomplice…”

Rick swallowed hard, “Edward Addison is in league with some pretty dangerous people,” he replied in a pain-filled voice as he closed his eyes to try and block out the pain. “I know what I did was idiotic, but I certainly didn’t expect Catherine to shoot me several times and leave me for dead in a crappy hotel!”

“What’s going on in here?” Horatio asked as he came into the room holding Rick’s work satchel in one hand and a newspaper in the other. “Detective Taylor, Detective Messer, what are you doing?”

Rick sighed and opened his eyes, “Apparently, Sergeant Stetler refuses to testify against Catherine Willows,” Mac commented as he looked at Horatio. “Detective Flack was here the other day…”

“You’re refusing to testify?” Horatio asked worriedly, raising his eyebrows at Rick. “May I ask why?”

Rick shrugged and immediately gagged at the amount of pain it caused him, “I-I’m on tenterhooks with Clavo and Ramon Cruz,” he managed to say as he struggled to ease the pain. “Clavo and Ramon got me diplomatic immunity under their father’s authorization as long as I did exactly what they told me…”

“Rick, just take it easy,” Horatio said in a concerned voice as he walked over to the bed and immediately found that the pain button hadn’t been touched at all. “Have you not been taking any pain medication?”

Rick shook his head as the pain finally subsided, “It impairs my judgment,” he replied in a tired voice. “I just need to get sent back to Miami and make Clavo and Ramon believe that I’m behaving myself…”

“You let me worry about Clavo and Ramon,” Horatio said in a reassuring voice, worrying about how deathly pale Rick looked as he grabbed the pain button and forced it into his hand. “They’re not going to transfer you to Miami until you start showing some improvement and you don’t look well right now.”

Mac sighed, “I’m afraid that this discussion isn’t over, Lieutenant Caine, Sergeant Stetler,” he said in a remorseful voice as he crossed his arms. “NYPD said if Sergeant Stetler doesn’t testify willingly, he’ll be forcibly subpoenaed and could face possible charges for obstruction and being an accomplice.”

Horatio didn’t say anything as he forced Rick’s hand to press the button, “Horatio, I’m going to lose my job again if I lose my immunity,” Rick said in a groggy voice as the medication began to make him tired.

“You let me worry about that,” Horatio replied reassuringly as he released Rick’s cold hand. “Rest.”

As Rick fell asleep, Horatio turned to face Mac and Danny, “Rick is in no condition to be testifying,” he said in a voice that dared Mac and Danny to argue. “Could he testify privately and have it recorded?”

“I’ll look into it,” Mac promised even though he knew having such a request granted was very rare.

Horatio nodded, “In the meantime, do you think you can keep NYPD off of Rick’s back?” he asked in a concerned voice. “I’d like any future requests for visits or interviews to go through me first, please.”

“That can be arranged,” Mac replied as he edged towards the door. “We’ll be in touch, all right?”

Horatio kept quiet as Mac and Danny left the room and then turned to watch Rick sleep.

“Hang in there, Rick,” Horatio whispered in a somber voice. “Things will get easier for you.”  
****  
5-5 Firehouse

“Uncle Jimmy, did I do a good job?” Ellie asked as she held up a string of paper flowers that were going to be hung above the arch before the wedding. “I had to use little kid scissors, but I tried so hard…”

Jimmy, who had chosen to take disability pay, nodded as he sat at the small firehouse table with Ellie, who was wearing a lilac dress, lilac tights, and black shoes with her hair in braids, “I think that’s ready to put on the arch if John and your grandpa are done building it. Do you wanna go see if they’re done?”

Ellie nodded and picked up the long string of paper flowers that were strung together by string and cut up straws, “Is Aunt Kim helping Mommy get ready?” she asked as she walked over to the storage room that had been cleared out for the wedding and closed up so it could be properly decorated. “John?”

“Yeah?” John’s voice called out. “Maurice said that I can’t do anything else until he calls.”

Jimmy frowned and he knocked on the door, “What do you mean?” he asked worriedly. 

The door opened and John poked his head out, “Maurice told me this morning not to do anything about the arch until he calls,” he replied tiredly. “He and Grandpa Sully had to go take care of something.”

“What are you doing in there then?” Jimmy asked, unnerved as to why John wouldn’t open the door.

Immediately, the door closed, “Working on something with David,” John’s voice replied. “Stay out.”

“Kim?” Jimmy called out as he moved over to the stairs. “Kim, can I talk to you down here for a sec?”

There were footsteps and Kim appeared at the top of the stairs in a lilac gown, “What?” she asked.

“John and David are keeping secrets,” Jimmy commented in a worried voice. “Any idea about…?”

Suddenly, a cell-phone started ringing and then all was quiet for several minutes, “Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Kim, is Mom ready yet?” David asked as the door opened and he came out in a Sunday suit.

“Your mother’s ready,” Kim replied, wondering what John and David were up to. “Danielle?”

As there were more footsteps, Sully suddenly came up the steps into the common area wearing a brand new suit and shoes that Danielle had convinced him to buy, “Is everyone ready?” he asked cheerfully.

“Daddy?” Danielle asked in a gentle voice as she suddenly appeared at the top of the steps.

Sully, Jimmy, and Ellie looked up and saw Danielle standing there in a floor-length white gown that had sweeping, elbow-length sleeves, beads on the bodice, and small white flowers on the modest collar. Her hair was curled and done up in a long ponytail that cascaded down her back with a headband over it.

“I never had a wedding dress the first time, so I got Kim and Faith to help me pick one,” Danielle commented as she carefully came down the stairs. “Faith and I reconciled our differences.”

Sully nodded as Danielle stepped off the stairs and he offered his arm, “Where’s Maurice, Dad?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice, wondering why only her father was there. “Is he okay?”

“Bosco’s fine,” Sully replied as the door opened and John and David came out in Sunday suits with a large box in their arms. “If everyone’s ready, we should really get downstairs and get going.”

Danielle frowned, “Going where?” she asked in a confused voice. “Isn’t the wedding here?”

Sully chuckled as he led Danielle, Kim, Jimmy, John, David, and Ellie out of the common area, down the stairs, and through the bay to the street where a black stretch limo was waiting, “What is this?” Danielle asked in a shocked voice as David and John carried the box to the limo. “Where did this come from?”

“Mommy, can we go for a ride in the limo?” Ellie asked excitedly as she ran over to the open door.

Danielle sighed as she watched Ellie climb into the limo, followed by John, David, and the package they were carrying. Kim and Jimmy got in next, leaving Danielle and Sully standing on the sidewalk.

“Dad, seriously, what’s going on?” Danielle asked in a worried voice. “Is Maurice really all right?”

Sully sighed, “Bosco told me to come get you,” he explained gently. “Will you just get in the limo?”

Swallowing hard, Danielle nodded and silently got into the limo, shortly followed by Sully. The door was pulled shut and a moment later, the limo pulled away from the curb and took off down the street.  
****  
Miami-Dade Police Department - Miami, Florida

Nobody was in the foyer as Ramon entered carrying the covered basket that held a very malnourished, bruised James and a note for Emily from Bernard. Nervous that he was going to get caught, Ramon gently set the basket on top of the welcome desk and quickly put Bernard’s note on top of it.

“I hope someone finds you,” Ramon whispered as the door opened and he heard footsteps approach.

Ramon turned to see Ryan standing there with a folder in hand, “What’s in the basket?” he asked.

Immediately, Ramon took off running through the foyer to find a back way out and Ryan chased after him, wondering what was in the basket and why Ramon was leaving it. Several minutes went by before Ryan realized that Ramon was gone and he immediately pulled out his gun as he continued forward.

After a minute, however, Ryan decided to move back to the desk and see what was in the basket instead of trying to catch Ramon, “I wonder what he dropped off?” Ryan asked himself as he reached the desk, carefully set his gun down, and gently peeled back the blanket only to find a familiar, battered child.

“James?” Ryan whispered in a soft voice as he immediately recognized the infant. “Hey buddy.”

As James extended an arm towards Ryan, there was a loud creak and Ryan turned just in time to see a maintenance supply closet door open just a crack. Worried about James’s safety, Ryan covered James back up, picked his gun up from the desk, and slowly made his way towards the maintenance closet.

“This is because Stetler turned,” a dark voice whispered as the door opened wider. “Say goodnight.”

There was a click and several staple-like shots and Ryan suddenly found himself on his back with a hand over his eye and the other over his chest as blood began to stain his shirt. Alarmed by the noise, James suddenly began to cry as footsteps moved out of the closet and moved out of the precinct very quickly.

Shaking madly, Ryan struggled to reach for the radio that Tim had insisted he carry even when off duty just because of the constant threat of Bernard, but he was going into shock too fast and couldn’t.  
****  
Pavilion – Central Park – Manhattan, New York

The limo pulled up to the curb and immediately went quiet, “Mom, can you and Grandpa stay in here for a few minutes?” John asked in an excited voice. “Jimmy and Kim have to help us with something.”

“All right,” Danielle replied in a confused voice, worrying as Kim and Jimmy got out of the limo with John, David, and Ellie. “Dad, what on earth is going on? Why did Maurice send you in a limo?”

Before Sully could reply, the window opened and Stu looked back at them with a chauffeur’s cap on his head and a tux, “I’m not allowed to say a word per Bosco’s orders, but can I just give you a little friendly advice, Danielle?” Stu asked gently. “Relax and enjoy the fact that you’re in an expensive limo…”

There was a knock at the door, “Stu, you can let them out now,” Faith spoke softly. “We’re ready.”

Stu nodded, got out of the limo, and a moment later, the passenger door opened and Danielle couldn’t believe what she was seeing; there were rows of folding chairs on either side of a white mat that went from the limousine to a gazebo where Bosco and a judge were waiting. John and David were standing beside Bosco and Kim and Ellie were on the other side. A lot of people in uniform from the old 55, the old Camelot firehouse, the Bed-Stuy precinct and firehouse, and a few others were sitting in the chairs.

“What’s this?” Danielle asked as Sully helped her out of the limo. “What are all these people…?”

Faith smiled, “Bos wanted the wedding to be special so he’s been spending every spare minute he could making arrangements,” she explained in a cheerful voice. “He even got Sully to help him…”

“Can I give you away now like you deserve?” Sully asked, offering his arm as he smiled at Danielle.

Danielle nodded and a version of ‘The Wedding March’ played as she and her father walked down the makeshift aisle to the gazebo. As they reached the gazebo, Danielle spotted Rose sitting on the front row with Emily Yokas and a box of Kleenex in her lap. Danielle then smiled at Bosco and the judge.

“Greetings to all those who have come to celebrate the union of Maurice Boscorelli and Danielle Sullivan,” Judge Halstead said in a warm tone as she looked out over the crowd and briefly up at the sky that looked like it could spew cookies at any minute. 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God. It is therefore, not to be entered into unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons come now to be joined. I now ask who in this audience gives away this woman to be lawfully wed?”

Sully swallowed hard, “I do,” he said in a calm voice, smiling at Danielle as he stepped away from her.

As Sully took a seat next to Rose, Danielle walked up to Bosco and gently took his hands, “Maurice and Danielle, the covenant which you are about to make with each other is meant to be a beautiful and sacred expression of your love for each other. As you pledge your vows to each other, and as you commit your lives to each other, we ask that you do so in all seriousness, and yet with a deep sense of joy; with the deep conviction that you are committing yourselves to a dynamic growing relationship of trust, mutual support, and caring love. Now, moving to the wedding vows, Officer Boscorelli has elected to say his own vows and I know invite him to do so,” Judge Halstead stated, smiling at Bosco.

“Danielle, I love you very much and nothing will ever change that even though I know we’re gonna age and life won’t be perfect,” Bosco explained in a soft voice. “I take you as mine forever.”

Danielle smiled, “Maurice, I love you too and I wholeheartedly take you into my heart, soul, and the rest of my life,” she replied in a loving tone as tears welled up in her eyes. “I take you as mine forever.”

Judge Halstead smiled and her eyes were on Joey, who had suddenly come up beside David holding a pillow with two rings on it, “You may now exchange rings and as you place the ring on the finger of the other, say with this ring, I thee wed,” she said in an encouraging voice. “You may now do so.”

“With this ring, I thee wed,” Bosco said as he picked up the ring and put it on Danielle’s finger.

Danielle smiled as she picked up the ring, “With this ring, I thee wed,” she said, putting it on his finger.

“Maurice and Danielle, I am now very pleased to declare that you are now husband and wife until the day of death separates you,” Judge Halstead said in a cheerful voice. “Maurice, please kiss your bride.”

A cheer rose up from the crowd as Bosco and Danielle leaned into each other and shared a passionate, but very appropriate kiss for newlyweds. Suddenly, heavy white flakes began to fall from the sky.

“I now present to you Mister and Mrs. Boscorelli,” Judge Halstead proclaimed as Danielle and Bosco turned and faced the small crowd. “Now, I suggest everyone gets inside where it’s much warmer.”

There was laughing as Bosco led Danielle out of the gazebo, “There will be a reception at the biggest at the Plaza Hotel and there will be signs to point the way to the room where it’s happening,” Bosco called out to the crowd. “For any of you who have some time before work, please come join the party.”

“The Plaza?” Danielle asked in a confused voice as Bosco led her to the limo. “How’d you manage…?”

Bosco smiled, “John made a special call to Emily Wolfe in Miami a few weeks ago and he asked her for suggestions on how he could make his mother’s wedding special for her,” he explained as they reached the limo and Stu opened the door. “Emily told him to just be helpful and happy about it and then she went one step further and only told me about it after she had paid for a banquet room at the Plaza.”

“Oh, wow,” Danielle replied in a shocked voice, surprised that Emily would do that for her family.

Bosco nodded as the guests began folding up the chairs and taking them over to a truck that was parked in the nearby parking lot, “Jimmy bought a truck once he was able to drive,” Danielle commented in an amused voice as she watched Jimmy walk with Joey over to the truck while Kim and Camille followed.

“Maurice, are our children coming with us?” Danielle asked, her eyes on John, David, and Ellie, who were still near the gazebo talking with Sully, Faith, and Judge Halstead. “I worry about them all…”

Bosco shrugged, “If they want to, they can,” he replied gently. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Yes, plenty,” Danielle replied gently. “John and David stayed up past midnight, though.”

Bosco frowned as he watched Emily try to touch John’s arm and he quickly pulled away, but Emily said some things to him before he could run off, “John, David, Ellie, come over here please!” Bosco called out, noticing that John was uncomfortable with Emily’s advancements. “They can come with us.”

Grateful for the distraction, John grabbed David and Ellie’s hands and brought them over to Bosco and Danielle, “Did you three wanna come with us to the hotel?” Bosco asked in a fatherly voice.

“Yeah,” John replied in a nervous voice, sighing as David and Ellie scrambled into the limo. “Thanks.”  
*****  
Miami-Dade Police Department - Miami, Florida

“That suit’s a little big on you,” Detective Hagen commented as he saw Bobby come up the stairs from the bus stop in a light gray suit, dark shoes, a light blue tie, and a white dress shirt with his MDPD badge clipped to his breast pocket and his ID badge around his neck. “Wait, Detective Robert Caine?”

Bobby sighed, “My mother was a Caine before she married my father and it’s the last name I was given when Uncle Horatio adopted me, so I can legally use either LaRusso or Caine,” he explained in a professional voice as he put his hands in his pockets. “Robert Horatio is my full birth name.”

Detective Hagen nodded as he and Bobby walked up the steps and into the PD, only to hear the cries of something that was in a basket on the desk. As Bobby walked over to the desk, the sight of a man in a suit lying in a pool of blood caught his eye, “Hagen, check that body over there,” he ordered worriedly.

As Detective Hagen hurried over to the body, LaRusso approached the basket, got his leather gloves out of his pocket, and put them on so that he wouldn’t contaminate the evidence, “Hagen, who’s Bernard Marquez?” Bobby asked as he picked up the envelope, lifted the blanket, and saw the baby inside. 

“Whoa,” Bobby breathed as he stared at the injured baby boy. “This kid looks kinda like Emily Wolfe.”

Hagen knelt down next to the body and was horrified to see that Ryan was injured, semi-conscious, and barely breathing because of the amount of staples in his shirt and face, “Bobby, this is Ryan Wolfe,” he said in a concerned voice as he pulled his radio off his pocket. “This is Hagen requesting a bus at MDPD.”

“Should I take the baby and everything that came with him over to CSI?” Bobby asked in a concerned voice as James suddenly quieted again and stared at him curiously. “There’s a lot of evidence here…”

Detective Hagen shook his head, “I’ll call over and see if they can send someone,” he replied as he adjusted the buttons on his radio. “Hagen to CSI, do you have anyone you can spare for a while?”

“…This is Duquesne,” Calliegh’s voice responded. “I’ll come with Boa Vista right now and I’ll also call Speedle in to offer a helping hand. Delko was supposed to come in, but he’s not here…”

Detective Hagen rolled his eyes, “Delko’s walking on thin ice with all the days he’s been skipping to help that sister of his,” he explained in an annoyed voice. “I understand his sister has cancer, but really…”

Bobby didn’t say anything because he had also learned that Delko was not only helping his sister, but also helping others in his sister’s support group. It wasn’t a reason to skip work for, however.

*****  
The room was quiet, but Emily found herself relieved to just be silently watching as Tim fed Julliet spoonfuls of breakfast out of a baby food jar. Emily also wasn’t able to move from the couch because she was exhausted after a night of throwing up from the last chemo treatment she would have until the after another scan was done; she had finished a round and now had to see if it had helped her at all.

Since Tim’s parents were busy with their careers, Emily had found herself being visited at least once a day by Tim, Eric, and sometimes Marisol. The visits were short, however, because Emily tired easily.

Emily found a yawn escaping her lips as she lay on the plush couch in the Speedles’ living room with a fluffy pillow under her back and a blanket over the sweats and gym shirt she was wearing, “I’m sorry, Tim, but I think I got out of bed too early this morning,” she said in a tired voice. “I need to go…”

“Just rest there and Julliet and I will find something quiet to do until my mom gets back,” Tim replied gently, cutting her off as he fed Julliet another spoonful of food. “How are you feeling this morning?”

Emily sighed and gently massaged her forehead, “I have a small headache and I’m very tired, but no nausea or dizziness,” she replied softly, smiling as Julliet looked at her worriedly. “I just need rest.”

“I’m telling my mom that you’re still having symptoms,” Tim commented. “You know she’ll…”

Emily nodded and closed her eyes, “I know I’ve got to eat more, but my body doesn’t want to let me,” she replied in a tired voice, irritated that she couldn’t tolerate much more than soft food right then.

“If I made you some special soup that my dad taught me to make when I was younger, would you eat it?” Tim asked in a concerned voice. “I don’t really cook often because I don’t have time, but I…”

Suddenly, Emily’s cell-phone rang and Emily reached for it since she had brought it to the couch before sitting down just in case there was an important call, “Hello?” she asked tiredly. “Emily Wolfe…”

There was silence as the person on the other end explained what had happened to Ryan and Emily slowly sat up with a horrified look on her face, “…Taken to Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital?” she repeated in a worried voice. “I’ll come as soon as I can. Thank you for calling me, Natalia…”

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked in a worried voice as Emily hung up the phone. “What happened?”

Emily sighed and pocketed her cell-phone, “Ryan was shot with a staple gun several times at MDPD and he was taken to Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital in deep shock,” she explained in a worried voice as she slowly got up and walked into the kitchen. “Tim, do you think I could borrow your bike for a bit?”

“Are you kidding me?” Tim asked in a shocked voice. “You want to ride it when you’re not well?”

Emily glared at him and gently smoothed down her thinning hair in frustration, “I’m suddenly feeling a lot better than I was a minute ago,” she replied in a snappish voice. “My brother’s in the hiospital…”

“I thought it was Ryan’s day off from the lab today?” Tim asked softly. “Wasn’t he supposed to go…”

Emily scoffed, “Eric is probably spending time with Marisol and he must have forgot to call in for time off,” she replied, concerned about Eric taking so much time off to help Marisol and her out. “He’s done it before to come help me with Julliet when nobody else could and I told him that he had to stop that.”

“Well, maybe now that somebody got hurt because of his irresponsibility, Delko will wake up,” Tim snapped in an aggravated voice. “And no, you’re not going to take my bike and risk passing out on the freeway. I can call a cab and go with you and Julliet to the hospital and maybe help collect evidence.”

Emily was quiet for a moment and then smiled, “Thank you for caring about me,” she replied in a gentle voice, smiling at him as she leaned against the counter. “Natalia is going to meet us in the ER…”

Tim nodded, smiled at Julliet, and walked over to the phone while Emily took a moment to rest.  
****  
Recovery Floor - Angel of Mercy Hospital – Manhattan, New York

Loud buzzing slowly brought Rick back to awareness and he opened his eyes to see his cell-phone, which was in the satchel of things that Horatio had brought him, vibrating on the portable table. Letting out a tired sigh, he grabbed the phone with his free hand and saw that he had a new text message.

Ryan was shot because you turned. Watch your back, Ricky; I’m coming for you next.

Rick’s eyes widened, staring at the message for only a moment before he set the phone back on the table and pressed the nurse’s call button that was on his bed. A moment later, Mary Fields came into the room and Stetler ignored the sudden pain in his body as he sat straight up in the hospital bed.

“Sergeant Stetler, you should be resting,” Mary commented worriedly. “What can I do for you?”

Rick winced as he tried to lower the bedrails, “Can I have some clothes, please?” he asked groggily. “I have to get back to Miami as soon as possible because it’s better if I’m killed sooner than later.”

Mary frowned, quickly walked over to the bed, and felt Rick’s forehead, “You’re not going to be transferred until next week and even then, you’ll be in the hospital for three more weeks because of the colostomy,” she explained in a concerned tone. “You should be lying down in the meantime.”

“No, I want some clothes and I want to get out of here!” Rick snapped in an anxious voice, doubling over in intense agony just as Horatio came into the room. “Just get out of here and let me leave, please.”

Horatio frowned as he walked over to the bed, “Clavo sent me a text and he said Ryan Wolfe was shot,” Rick replied in a pain-filled voice as Mary helped him lie back down. “I’m in deep trouble, Horatio.”

Immediately, Horatio used his sleeve to pick up the cell-phone and studied the text, “How do you know it was Clavo Cruz who sent you this text?” he asked in a suspicious voice. “The number isn’t listed.”

“Then take it to the NYPD and have it analyzed,” Rick snapped, both aggravated and disturbed that Horatio didn’t seem to care that Ryan had been shot. “Did you want to call NYPD or should I?”

Horatio sighed, “I gave Bobby my word that I would ensure your safety, Rick,” he replied as he walked over to the phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed the number of the NYPD. “Just stay in bed.”

“What is with you Crime Scene Investigators not caring about each other?” Rick snapped, ignoring the fact that Horatio was on the phone. “By the way, Horatio, since you’re here and stuck with me as company for a while, I want to mention that I have concerns about Eric Delko’s recent behavior…”

Horatio frowned, “If you’re referring to Delko’s absences from work, his sister is suffering from a serious medical condition and requires Eric’s help from time to time,” he replied as a voice suddenly came on the phone, identifying themselves as NYPD. “Yes, this is Lieutenant Caine calling needing an officer…”

Rick scoffed and sighed, “Sergeant Stetler, can I get you anything?” Mary asked in a gentler tone, seeing that Rick was only frustrated because of Horatio. “I understand you’re frustrated right now, however…”

“Could I please get something to eat?” Rick asked softly. “I guess hunger is a sign that I’m recovering.”

Mary nodded and silently left the room, leaving Rick alone to listen to Horatio talk on the phone.  
****  
Banquet Room – Plaza Hotel, Manhattan, New York

“Let’s hear it for Officer and Mrs. Boscorelli!” Carlos spoke over a microphone at the front of the room.

Clapping and cheering filled the room as Bosco and Danielle entered the room and saw that one end of the room had covered tables and chairs in it and the other had a buffet table while there was a podium and a small DJ booth manned by Carlos at the front of the room, “Now, let’s get this party started!” Carlos crowed in an excited voice as music started playing. “I’ll be your illustrious DJ this morning!”

“Actually, before everyone starts to enjoy the reception, there’s something that David and I would like to reveal in celebration of our new family,” John spoke up as he took the microphone from Carlos and faced the small, but excited crowd as David came forward with a small stand, Sully, and the box.

The room went silent as David opened the box and John put the microphone down for a moment as he took out an acoustic guitar, “I didn’t know John played the guitar,” Bosco commented as David set some sheet music on the stand and quickly got a chair so John could sit down. “Where did he learn to play?”

“To celebrate my new family, I’d like to play and sign ‘Time Of Your Life’ by Green Day,” John explained in a loud voice as he sat down and put the guitar on his lap. “I hope it’s appropriate for this day.”

Swallowing hard, John quickly warmed up the guitar and as he played, he began to sing in the most handsome, unbelievable Sully-like voice that anyone had ever heard, “I guess that’s why John and David went over to Tommy’s every day for the last few days,” Danielle commented in an amused voice, so proud that John didn’t quit singing and playing his guitar because of all that had happened to him.

A few minutes later, after the song had ended, John sighed as he stood up, “To my new dad and my wonderful mom,” he said in an emotional, yet very tired voice. “I hope they have many happy years together.”

Applause filled the room as John put the guitar and sheet music back in the box, “Thank you to John for that wonderful surprise,” Bosco spoke up. “I think it would be best if everyone ate now because I’m sure people will have to get to work and it’s not fair that they go on an empty stomach, now is it?”

John watched silently as people got up from the tables and walked over to the buffet tables, “Hey John, how are you feeling?” Bosco asked in a soft voice as he and Danielle walked over to where John and David were sitting looking slightly anxious. “That was a nice little wedding gift to give us, boys.”

“John’s blood sugar is low,” David piped up in a worried voice. “He ate breakfast today, but…”

Danielle frowned and gently felt John’s forehead and cheeks, “You’ve been helping with the preparations all day and that was a lot of hard work, so I bet that’s what lowered your blood sugar,” Bosco spoke up in a concerned voice. “I’ve been doing research on diabetes on my days off…”

“I think you need something to eat,” Danielle agreed gently. “In fact, I think we all need something.”

John nodded and silently stood up, smiling as Ellie ran over to them, “Daddy, can we get something to eat?” she asked in an excited voice as she hugged Bosco. “I’m really, really hungry!”

Gratified to be so easily accepted by his new family, Bosco was quiet for a moment and then smiled as he followed Danielle, John, David, and Ellie over to the crowd that was already at the buffet table.

“Is there anything diabetic friendly?” John asked in a nervous voice. “I’m still getting used to…”

Bosco smiled, “Actually, yes,” he replied pleasantly. “Just take your time and enjoy it, okay?”

“Did you and Dad want us three to stay at Grandpa’s tonight so that you two can have a night alone, Mom?” David asked softly as John walked over to get a plate. “You could get a hotel room…”

Danielle chuckled, “I don’t have any spare money for that sort of a luxury and I’m not sure your father does either, David,” she replied gently, not wanting to tell David that she and Bosco had already planned to do a few family and couple activities when they went to Miami in January to talk to the MDPD.

“We could always go to the zoo or do something fun one weekend a month for now and maybe do something bigger later,” Bosco suggested gently. “I’m sure your mother and I will get some time to be alone at some point, but I’m personally happy to have a stable family for once in my long life.”

David nodded and looked at Ellie, “Let’s go get something to eat,” he said, gently dragging her away.

“Maurice, did you really mean what you said just now?” Danielle asked in a curious, loving voice.

Bosco nodded as he smiled, “I did,” he replied in a calm voice. “I love my whole family; all of you.”

“I love you too,” Danielle replied, readily embracing Bosco as he leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss.  
*****  
Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital – Miami, Florida

“A staple gun?” Alexx asked in a shocked voice as she looked at Calleigh in shock. “Why would…?”

Calleigh shrugged, “I don’t know why anyone would shoot Ryan with a staple gun,” she replied in an apologetic voice as she crossed her arms. “Ballistics is processing the gun Hagen and LaRusso found at the scene and I came to the hospital to check on the other pieces of evidence that they found there.”

“Is it really James Wolfe?” Alexx asked in a shocked voice. “The baby that LaRusso found in the…?”

A throat cleared, “It’s actually Detective Caine if you really must use formalities,” an amused voice spoke as footsteps came up behind Calliegh and Alexx. “A Victims Assistance rep is with James Wolfe.”

Calliegh and Alexx turned to see Bobby standing there, “I hear you’re a little short on CSI’s today, Duquesne, so I’ve come to collect the staples from Ryan and I’ll personally take them to the lab once Detective Hagen is done talking with the rep,” he explained gently. “Where Is Ryan, anyway?”

“That’s something I’d like to know,” Emily replied in a cross voice as she and Tim came down the hallway with Tim carrying Julliet. “I want to know what exactly happened and why Ryan ended up here today.”

Calleigh shrugged, “I have no idea,” she stated in a soft voice, concerned by Emily’s pale complexion.

“Officer Wolfe, Detective Hagen and I found Ryan when we showed up at the MDPD this morning,” Bobby explained as he turned to face Emily, Tim, and Julliet. “While we were waiting for paramedics to arrive, Detective Hagen kept Ryan from slipping into total shock while Miss Boa Vista searched…”

Emily’s eyes suddenly widened as footsteps approached from behind Alexx, Calleigh, and Bobby, “Emily, I was hoping you’d get here quickly,” Natalia said in a gentle voice. “Can you come with me, please?”

“I’ve got to find out how Ryan is,” Emily replied in a confused voice. “Tim, Julliet, and I just got here.”

Bobby sighed, “Ryan’s in surgery getting the staples removed,” he explained. “I’m planning on heading up to the Surgical floor right away so I can get the evidence, so you might as well go with Natalia.”

“I’m going to come with you,” Tim replied, worried that Emily would become ill during the walk.

Emily nodded and silently followed Natalia to the other end of the ER where the Trauma Rooms were and was surprised when Natalia led her, Tim, and Julliet into a room where a curtain was drawn around the bed, “I have Emily Wolfe with me,” Natalia spoke in an official voice. “Please open the curtain.”

The curtain was pulled back and Emily was surprised to see a little boy who looked a lot like her and Julliet sitting on the gurney with a gown and blanket over his small body. There was a cast on his small left arm, and a nurse was putting IV’s in his small, badly bruised right arm and patting his face.

“James?” Emily asked in a confused, shocked voice as the little boy looked at her and smiled.

Tim’s eyes widened when Julliet tried to squirm out of his arms, “James!” Julliet cried. “Want James.”

“I found him in a basket on the information desk this morning,” Bobby explained as he entered the room and walked over to the bed. “There was also a letter for you from a Bernard Marquez, Officer Wolfe.”

As Emily’s insides turned to ice, she nodded and gently touched James’s hand as Tim brought Julliet over to them, “Do you have the letter or is it being kept as evidence?” she asked in a toneless voice.

“The letter was supposed to be dropped off at CSI,” Detective Hagen said as he came over to Bobby with an almost aggravated expression on his face. “Please tell me you followed my orders and did that.”

There was silence and Bobby nodded, “The original is at CSI and I had one of the techs photocopy it since Delko wasn’t there,” he replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

“If Eric had come to the PD this morning like he was supposed to, Ryan wouldn’t be in surgery,” Emily replied in a snappish voice as she took the paper from Bobby. “I am overcome with shock that James was found alive, but my happiness is slightly dampened by the fact that Ryan was almost killed.”

Natalia nodded, “Calliegh’s trying to get a hold of him,” she replied softly. “How are you feeling?”

Emily sighed, “I just finished a round of chemotherapy and I have an appointment next week to see what the next step is,” she replied, not taking her eyes off of James and Julliet. “Until then, I wait.”

Detective Hagen’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything, “Could everyone please give me some space so I can spend some time alone with my children, please?” Emily asked in an authoritative voice, giving Tim a compassionate glance. “Tim, thanks so much for coming here with me and the kids…”

“I’ll be outside if you need me,” Tim replied calmly before he set Julliet on the gurney. “Hagen…”

Bobby sighed and moved away quickly, “Hagen and I will be upstairs waiting to talk to Ryan,” he said in a quiet voice, understanding Emily’s need to be alone with her children. “If you need anything…”

Emily nodded as Tim, Bobby, and Detective Hagen left the room, “Natalia, I don’t know how to react or feel right now about all of this,” she said in a toneless voice as she watched Julliet snuggle up beside James as if the two had never been separated for a lengthy time before turning her gaze to the letter.

Natalia silently watched as Emily skimmed the letter and sighed, “Bernard’s in trouble and he says that he wants to talk to me soon,” Emily explained in a somber voice. “Natalia, I don’t know what to do.”

“Just stay here with your kids for now,” Natalia replied softly. “Just enjoy this happy reunion.”  
****  
Recovery – Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital – Miami, Florida – Three Hours Later

Numb from all the pain medication he had been given, Ryan struggled to see out of his unbandaged eye as an anxious looking Marisol approached the bed, “Marisol, I thought Eric was with you?” he asked.

“Eric was helping me with some shopping when he got a call from work saying that you had been attacked,” Marisol explained in a worried voice as Alexx came into the room. “Hello, Doctor Woods.”

Alexx smiled at Marisol, “Eric’s at the lab and he sent me to pick you up since Timmy is still down in the ER waiting for Emily, Julliet, and James,” she explained in a gentle voice. “How are you doing?”

“James is back with Emily and Julliet now?” Ryan asked in a groggy voice. “I found him this morning…”

Marisol looked both shocked and relieved at hearing that, but Alexx nodded calmly, “Yes, baby, you did and Emily is very grateful to you,” she said in a soothing voice as she took hold of Ryan’s cold hand.

“I thought I was going to die,” Ryan said in a groggy voice as he struggled to stay awake. “My radio…”

Alexx gently stroked Ryan’s trembling hand as the door opened and Dr. Loman came into the room and saw Alexx and Marisol there, “Officer Wolfe really needs to rest, ladies,” he gently chided as he came over to the bed. “Ryan’s eye took three staples and his chest took at least ten, but the surgeons got all the staples out. Ryan was in intense shock for quite a while and his sternum also took some damage…”

“I’m tired,” Ryan replied in a faint voice as Alexx tucked his hand under the blanket. “I have to sleep.”

Swallowing hard, Marisol nodded and quietly left the room, “I’m not going anywhere, baby,” Alexx whispered as Ryan forced his unbandaged eye to close and he slowly relax. “Just take it easy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me reviews!


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